Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the number of slums have been increasing rapidly in metro cities specially in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata during the last several years;
(b) if so, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the Government has taken or proposes to take action to resolve the problems of such slums in metro cities; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
(SHRI HARDEEP SINGH PURI)
(a) & (b): The Registrar General, India (RGI) conducts decadal population Census wherein data are collected on all persons living in India including those residing in slums. City-wise details of slum population in Census 2001 and Census 2011 as provided by RGI are at Annexure.
There are various reasons for creation of slums of which the most important are as follows:
i. Increased urbanization leading to pressure on the available land and infrastructure, especially for the poor.
ii. Natural increase in the population of urban poor and migration from rural areas and small towns to larger cities.
iii. Sky-rocketing land prices due to increasing demand for land and constraints on supply of land.
iv. Absence of sufficient programmes of affordable housing for the urban poor in most States.
v. Lack of availability of credit for low income housing.
(c) & (d): ‘Land’ and ‘Colonization’ are State subjects and, therefore, it is the responsibility of State/ UT Governments to address the issue of increasing number of slums in urban areas and provide housing to the citizens through appropriate policy and programmes.
Government of India, however, has launched the PMAY(U) mission on 25th June, 2015 with the aim to provide assistance to States / UTs for addressing the housing requirement of the urban poor including slum dwellers. The mission envisages houses essentially with toilet facilities and should have other basic civic infrastructure like power supply, roads, water supply and drainage / sanitation.
******