Slum Dwellers Opposed To Redevelopment Plans

Planners and government officials in India are proposing to let developers build upscale housing and mixed use projects on land where one of Mumbai's largest slums. Concessions have been offered to residents, but many are opposed to the plan.

1 minute read

May 9, 2007, 2:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg

More than half of the city's 13 million residents live in slums.

"One of India's most squalid slums sits on extremely valuable property. The government has a plan to let private developers build projects for the rich in exchange for free housing, schools and health clinics for the poor."

From National Geographic: "Until recently few people in Dharavi had water hookups. Residents such as Meera Singh, a wry woman who has lived on the lane for 35 years, used to walk a mile (two kilometers) to get water for the day's cleaning and cooking. At the distant spigot she would have to pay the local 'goons' to fill her buckets. This is how it works in the bureaucratic twilight zone of informal housing. Deprived of public services because of their illegal status, slum dwellers often find themselves at the mercy of the 'land mafia.'"

FULL STORY: Bid to Develop Indian Slum Draws Opposition

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 in NPR

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