CHENNAI: Slum dwellers may soon be considered tenants living on corporation’s land if the National Urban Rental Housing Policy draft gets implemented in its present form. The policy promoted by the Union Government, allows slums on land belonging to urban local bodies be converted into rental housing units for a fixed tenure. In turn, the slum dwellers will have a no-eviction guarantee.
Nearly 60 per cent of slums across urban India are on government-owned land, of which 40 per cent are on land belonging to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). In some states, almost 65 per cent of slums are on land owned by the locally elected urban governments.
Factfile
Between 9 and 141 million households live in about 33,500 slums in India
Nearly 60% of slums across urban India are on government-owned lands
Between 9 and 141 million households live in about 33,500 slums in India
Nearly 60% of slums across urban India are on government-owned lands
The new draft policy suggests that slums on ULB land may be converted to rental housing with the ULB as the social landlord that rents land to the household. A slum on ULB land is made of two asset classes — the ULB’s land, and the housing unit, an investment made by the household.
The draft states that ULBs can give a ‘no-eviction guarantee’ to the household for 10 years or more, and receive revenue in the form of rent from the households for using ULB land.
The policy suggests giving powers to the ULBs to upgrade the unit and recover the investment through rent. “Households pay rent on the land occupied in exchange for a time-bound no-eviction guarantee. They retain ownership of the housing unit. They can invest in the house and associated services since they have security of tenure for a definite time period,” suggests the policy.