4. CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Why study of slums is important for us?
3. Causes of slums
4. Characteristics of slums
5. Effects of slums
6. Slums clearance
7. Works of improvement
8. Open plot scheme
9. Slum clearance and rehousing
10. Prevention of slum formation
11. Resources for slum clearance pfogramme
12. How to control slum impact on our socity?
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5. 1. INTRODUCTION
• The areas characterized by substandard
housing conditions within a city are known as
the slums.
• The prime characteristic of a slum is
substandard housing
• The substandard housing conditions should be
taken in a relative social sense referring to
actual living conditions with reference to a
given time in a specific country.
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6. 1. INTRODUCTION (Cont…)
• In general, a slum is an overcrowded poverty-
stricken area having lack of open spaces and
presence of unhealthy residential structures.
• The formation of slum converts the land into a
place of vices and miseries and more or less it
results into the state of hell on the surface of
earth.
• A scholar has rightly observed that “God made
the world, man made the town but devil made
the slum”.
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7. 2. WHY STUDY OF SLUM IS
IMPORTANT FOR US?
• These are haphazard developments, for
mitigating their different impacts their study is
important.
• For protection and improvement of new or old
town`s residential people`s life style.
• For better planning of new residential areas.
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8. 3. CAUSES OF SLUMS
1. Decentralization:
When it take place, the rich and middle class people move
out to the extended portions (scope) of the town and thus
the poor people are left unattended in the overcrowded
central area of the town.
2. Economic conditions:
the most important characteristic in slums is poverty. This
is fact that people live in slums because they cann’t afford
to pay the rent set up by the market conditions.
3. Improper use of land:
if the land fit for the residence are used for industries or
vice-versa, the slums may be formed.
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9. 3. CAUSES OF SLUMS (Cont…)
4. Lack of zoning:
if the town is not divided into suitable zones and
development is allowed to take place at random, the
slums may be created.
5. Migrants:
the persons migrating from the surrounding areas may
occupy, usually illegally, the vacant or empty places in or
outside the city. The colonies of squatters may result into
slums.
6. Repairs and maintenance:
if cheap houses, constructed by the land owner for the
purpose of collecting rents, are not properly maintained,
the formation of slums may develop.
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10. 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF SLUMS
1. Appearance:
This is the universal mark of slum and its unpleasant
appearance offends the eyes. The structures appear
to be deteriorated and to be over-age.
2. Fire hazards:
The slum area is often exposed to fire accidents and
resultant damages.
3. Health and sanitation:
The slum is characterized by low standard of
sanitation. It also refers an area of high sickness and
death rates.
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11. 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF SLUMS
(Cont…)
4. Income criteria:
the slum is a poverty area and it occupied by
people of the lowest income group of the society.
5. Morals/ Ethics:
the socially disorganized slum may prove be an
area of delinquency, crime and vice.
6. Overcrowding:
the slum is overcrowded with buildings or the
buildings are overcrowded with people, both the
conditions Predominate in the slum.
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12. 5. EFFECTS OF SLUMS
The effects of slums on the town life are manifold. They can
be briefly mentioned as follows:
1. Absence of amenities:
the surrounding area of slums is lacking in essential
amenities in required proportions because of
overcrowding.
2. Health:
the persons residing in slums are easily attacked be
various types of diseases.
3. Surrounding locality:
the working of institutions like library, school, hospital,
etc., located nearby slums is seriously affected.
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13. 5. EFFECTS OF SLUMS (Cont…)
4. Undesirable spot/ Place:
the slums as such on a city plan forms
undesirable spots and in a sense, disturbs the
appearance of good features of a city plan.
5. Working conditions:
it is not possible to work peacefully in slums
because the whole area is full of noise, traffic
congestion, smoke, dust and darkness.
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14. 6. SLUMS CLEARANCE
The process of improving the existing conditions of slums
is known as the slum clearance and the main four
objects of taking up slum clearance programmes can
be enumerated as follows:
i. To bring down the disparity in the living standards of
the people of various classes.
ii. To prevent the occurrence of epidemics in the town
or city.
iii. To provide the absolute basic minimum standards of
essential amenities for a healthy living.
iv. To remove the ugly spots or slums from the map of
town or city.
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15. 6. SLUMS CLEARANCE (Cont…)
Following are the two methods by which slum
clearance programmes can be effected:
1. Complete removal method
2. Improvement method.
NOTE: it should, however, be remembered that
the slum clearance, if not properly carried
out, does not abolish slums, but on the
contrary, it shifts and spreads them.
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16. 6. SLUMS CLEARANCE (Cont…)
1. Complete removal method:
in this method, the ill-constructed houses are demolished
and only those which are really good are retained. The
open spaces are left are used for widening of roads,
providing recreation grounds or building new houses of
approved standards.
the slums clearance by this method, proves to be too
costly and further , the people who are dishoused are to
be provided with alternative housing facilities.
The following two important factors should be considerd:
a. The degree of public health hazards involved.
b. The economic potential of the land i.e., the full use to
which the land can be economically exploited after
removal of the slum.
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17. 6. SLUMS CLEARANCE (Cont…)
2. Improvement method:
it is observed that certain areas where slums are due to poor
drainage arrangement and insanitary environments need not
necessarily be demolished, but improve the existing slums area.
the improvement project are as follows:
i. Amenities:
in addition to widening of roads, the public utility services such as
water, drainage and electricity should also be made adequate for
the affected area.
ii. Legal aspects:
the legal formalities required to implement the slum clearance
project should be strictly followed to correct the mistakes are
made.
It include publication and circulation of the slum clearance
project.
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18. 6. SLUMS CLEARANCE (Cont…)
iii. Transit camps:
when a slum clearance scheme is taken in hand, the
persons occupying the slums will have to be
dishoused. The transit camps in the form of semi-
permanent or temporary buildings are constructed in
some other parts of the town to accommodate such
persons temporarily till their new houses are built.
iv. Unauthorized persons:
To arrest the unauthorized persons to take advantage
during the transit period, it is desirable to issue the
slum dweller, who is qualified to get a tenement after
slum improvement scheme.
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19. 7. WORKS OF IMPROVEMENT
Following improvement works are include in the improvement
project of slum area:
i. Construction of open or covered drains
ii. Necessary repairs
iii. Opening up or paving of courtyards
iv. Provision of additional or improved fittings
v. Provision of bathing place, water taps and light points
vi. Realignment of streets
vii. Removal of rubbish and debris
viii. Miscellaneous including the demolition of any building or
any part of building for executing any of the works
mentioned above
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20. 8. OPEN PLOT SCHEME
In this scheme, the available open land is suitably
subdivided and allotted to slum dwellers.
key points of the scheme are as follows:
a. The area of the plot should not exceed 20m^2 to
25m^2, so that the scheme may not attract the better
off classes.
b. The individual lessees may be provided with the
possible alternative design for the construction of
small houses.
c. The plot should be given on long term lease with
necessary condition for cancellation and re-entry in
case of breach of terms of the lease document.
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21. 9. SLUMS CLEARANCE AND
REHOUSING
The complete removal of slum has been recognized as the
ultimate objective and slum improvement has been
considered as an immediate alternative to give relief to the
slum dwellers.
The main five difficulties to be encountered while pursuing
the slum clearance programme are as follows:
a. Constraint of resources
b. High cost of alternative sites near place of work
c. Lengthy & time consuming procedures of the acquisition
of slum area
d. Low rent paying capacity of the slum dwellers with the
result that the subsidized rents may also prove to be too
high
e. Unwillingness of the slum dweller to move from the areas
selected for clearance.
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22. 9. SLUMS CLEARANCE AND
REHOUSING (Cont…)
Following are some measures which may be
adopted to make the slum clearance and
rehousing schemes successful:
a. The slum rehabilitation scheme may be
combined with some commercial schemes so as
to make it self-supporting in finance.
b. The minimum carpet area including sanitary
conveniences may be decided for a family.
c. The state Govt. should make enough provision in
the budget every year for the construction of
minimum houses for the slum population.
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23. 10. PREVENTION OF SLUM
FORMATION
Some of the important measures which can be taken to effectively
prevent the slum formation are as follows:
i. Cheap housing:
sufficient number of subsidized cheap houses should be made
available to the poor people.
ii. Compulsion to employers:
the employers of a good number of labourers may be forced to
provide housing accommodation for their staff.
iii. Construction of buildings:
certain rule and regulation may be framed and strictly enforced to
restrict the coming of buildings of subnormal standards.
iv. Rent restrictions:
if provision is made to restrict the increase of rent, the tenants
will be protected.
V. Unauthorized construction:
the law should be adopted to remove unauthorized construction
of buildings, it may help in prevention of slum formation.
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24. 11. RESOURCES FOR SLUM CLEARANCE
PROGRAMMES
The slum clearance works require considerable fund and the
resources for the successful implementation of the scheme
should be properly analyzed and arranged.
Some of the possible measures to augment the slum
clearance scheme are as follows:
a. Distribution of national housing cess for rural and urban
housing
b. Granting interest free loans for a period of 30 to 40 years
c. Relaxation of the provision for loans by the life insurance
corporation
d. Surcharge on urban properties, etc.
e. Lottery funds.
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25. 12. HOW TO CONTROL SLUMS
IMPACTS ON OUR SOCIETY
• The well planned society should have it`s
separate road ways and slums should not use
society`s roads.
• Society should have it`s own facilities like sewage
system, water supply and others.
• The green belt or boundary of town should be
able to separate the town`s area to surrounding
area.
• The town periphery should be based upon wide
area because by taking this step there will large
distance between town`s boundary and slums.
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