Mumbai

Slum Improvement and Rehabilitation

Since independence there have been some efforts at rehabilitating the population of slums and improving their conditions of living. A list of the major phases of these programs is given here.

1943 to 1956 The government of the erstwhile Bombay State disburses small grants to various municipal bodies for improvement of slums.

1956 The Central Government approves a Slum Clearance Plan. Bombay is one of the 6 pilot cities covered under this scheme.

1963 The state government passes the Maharashtra State Slum Improvement Act to ensure prompt action under the central government plan.

1974 A Slum Improvement Board (SIB) is created on February 2, but central assistance is stopped from April 1. The state government is required to fund the scheme out of its plan budget.

1976 The first enumeration of slums is carried out in Bombay. 1,680 settlements with a population of 2.8 million are found.

1977 The SIB is merged with the MHADA. The post of a Controller of Slums is created by the state government with a mandate to prevent the proliferation of slums and to coordinate the programmes of various authorities.

1981 The state government evicts over 2000 families from pavements and unauthorised slums. Civil liberties groups take the matter to court.

1983 A second enumeration of slums is carried. 1,930 settlements with a population of 4.3 million are counted.

1985 The Supreme Court rules that eviction is a disturbance to the right to livelihood and hence infringes on the fundamental right to life. However, the court accepts the state government's use of the 1976 and 1983 enumerations to identify those people whose resettlement is guaranteed if eviction is necessary for public purposes.
The Bombay Urban Development Program, a project of the World Bank, starts. Under this Rs. 53 crores (530 million) is earmarked for a Slum Upgradation Program (SUP).

1943 to 1956	The government of the erstwhile Bombay State disburses small grants to various municipal bodies for improvement of slums.
1956	The Central Government approves a Slum Clearance Plan. Bombay is one of the 6 pilot cities covered under this scheme.
1963	The state government passes the Maharashtra State Slum Improvement Act to ensure prompt action under the central government plan.
1974	A Slum Improvement Board (SIB) is created on February 2, but central assistance is stopped from April 1. The state government is required to fund the scheme out of its plan budget.
1976	The first enumeration of slums is carried out in Bombay. 1,680 settlements with a population of 2.8 million are found.
1977	The SIB is merged with the MHADA. The post of a Controller of Slums is created by the state government with a mandate to prevent the proliferation of slums and to coordinate the programmes of various authorities.
1981	The state government evicts over 2000 families from pavements and unauthorised slums. Civil liberties groups take the matter to court.
1983	A second enumeration of slums is carried. 1,930 settlements with a population of 4.3 million are counted.
1985	The Supreme Court rules that eviction is a disturbance to the right to livelihood and hence infringes on the fundamental right to life. However, the court accepts the state government's use of the 1976 and 1983 enumerations to identify those people whose resettlement is guaranteed if eviction is necessary for public purposes. The Bombay Urban Development Program, a project of the World Bank, starts. Under this Rs. 53 crores (530 million) is earmarked for a Slum Upgradation Program (SUP).