Slums in Chennai
Chennai is the capital city of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is the fourth largest metropolitan city in the country. A total of 30% of Chennai's population resided in slums as of 2011. The state government of Tamil Nadu has established a slum clearance Board, with a minister heading it. Out of the major cities with the highest population in slums, Chennai ranks fourth after Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkota. Rapid urbanization and employment in the unorganized sector is the major factor for the slum population in Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement & Clearance) Act of 1971 empowered the government to protect the rights of slum dwellers from eviction or relocation. The policy helped in creating the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB), which comes under the Department of Housing of the state government of Tamil Nadu. The slum development works of the government are managed by TNSCB and also externally funded by agencies like World Bank.
Demographics
According to the
Factors
The major factor contributing to the development of slums is the lack of employment in rural areas and rapid urbanization in Chennai. People migrate from their hometowns to Chennai and get employed in different unorganized sectors.[2] Most of the slums were single room houses and had poor living conditions. The room had to be used for all domestic purposes like cooking, sleeping and cleaning vessels. Most of the slums do not have drainage facilities and open toilets are widely used, resulting in the spread of diseases.[2]
The Chennai MRTS completed in various phases between 1998 and 2004 had infrastructure issues as most of the path was located in slums.[3]
Government policies
According to a study published by Society for Participatory Research in Asia and Indicus Analytics, the urban slums in metropolitan cities contribute to 7% of the
Notes
- ^ Chandra, pp. 82-88
- ^ a b c Kumaran T., Vasantha; S. Divya, Rajeswari; N., Annammadevi; J., Nandhini; Bunch, Martin; Marley, David; Franklin, Beth (1 May 2012). "Community Engagement in Chennai Slums A Reflection from the Field". International Quarterly for Asian Studies. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "Mass rejected transit system; Chennai's MRTS carries just about 10 per cent of the commuters it was meant to, making it a case study in bad urban infrastructure planning. What can revive it?". Business Today. 4 April 2010. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ "Slums Contribute 7% to India's GDP, It's Time to Upgrade Them". The Hindustan Times. New Delhi, India. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Not a single slum officially recognised in Chennai since 1985". The Hindu. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "10,000 Flats in Chennai". Mena Report. 26 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
References
- Dr. C., Chandramouli (15–17 December 2003). "Slums In Chennai: A Profile" (PDF). Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health. Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University.