Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

173
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

Rows of unoccupied resettlement houses at Narela.

Resettlement model house (on left) versus actual house, Narela.

174
 Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

At a Glance

Functions
The Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) Department under the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi is responsible for implementation of various
schemes and programs to provide minimum basic civic amenities and
resettlement of squatter families.
Findings
FAbout 99% of slum clusters are present on government-owned land,
primarily of the union government.
FTill March 2002 about 40,707 squatter families from various JJ clus-
ters have been relocated.
FAs against a target of development of 75,000 sites & service plots
for relocation of jhuggis, the Slum & JJ Department could only
achieve 45% of the target. It has a pendency of more than 1.5 lac
jhuggies for relocation.
FThe Department of Urban Development continued to release grants
to the MCD without ensuring achievement of targets.
FDeposits received from the land-owning agencies by the Slum & JJ
Department were kept in banks and the interest accrued was diverted
to non-plan expenditure of the Department, in effect, to the salaries
of the staff.
Reforms
FEmphasis should be laid on prevention of future encroachment and
in-situ upgradation of existing slums.
FMeasures to stop future encroachment should include lapse of
encroached land (if any encroachments are not removed within three
months) to the Delhi government; sale of excess government land
to private parties and deregulation of the Delhi Rent Control Act
for the provision of cheap rental housing.

175
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

FIn situ rehabilitation of existing slum clusters based on the lines of

Dharavi in Mumbai--allow private residential development on
encroached land with allotment to existing slum dwellers and sale
to other families.
FThe Slum & JJ Department's work depends on the existence of Slum
& JJs! Prepare a time-bound plan for the in-situ rehabilitation of
slums and then merge the Slum & JJ Department with the Urban
Development Department for further upgradation of slums.

mer: DFS chief

um
tual tinderbox in s
s, a vir
Delhi slumervice the lack
of aware
ness
ents. this is
News S on resid
T r ib u n e ia ll y s lu
m s 15 milli ice (DFS)
re s, espec it - among it S e rv
o re fi a jo r c i Fire
m
th a n a n y o th e r m rally, The Delh . S h arma, sa -
ys:
0 r R.C
i, April 3 fi re s,
e country
. Gene chief, M a l tu rn s in to a v
ir
New Delh umber o
f
ies in th er
re a s in g n
au- t in the summ , “The Ca
p it
g th e su m-
T h e in c it h ta rp ks ou
fire brea h o t a n d d ry c li m a
te rbox duri
n
covered w d tu a l ti n d e
Delh th
i, e
hutments clusters, congeste d u e to th
e lty town pared to i,
lin in sl u m d lo ose d w it h the fau - mer. Com cities like Chenna
a l a re a s
a n cou p le le ft in a d r m a jo r
re s id e n ti es have made th
e th a t h a s oth e
ir p la n n in g structure. Added to
electi rc w tu a l ti n - fra
C a p it a l a v ir
rd s equate in
n a ti o n a l it a l re c o
d e rb o x . The Cap
for night-shelters
rovisioni s
Specialrp
te r /N e w
D e lh
po
S ta ff R e r-
y zone a
h a r G a n j a n d c it m e nt
f Pa JJ Depa rt
JJ D e p a rt m e n t o e a s. T h e Slum & o v e rn a n ce.
& adopt e-g
T h e S lu m rp o ra ti o n
of
is all set to th e B u d g e t in th
e
ic ip a l C o ial provi-
th e M u n a d e sp e c P re se n ti n g
o rp o ra ti o n ,
sm for e C
Delhi ha estimates u s e o f th e-chair-
s Budget it y H o ing committee vic
sions in it o m m u n
id the Slu
m
e lt e rs , c - stand
ok Jain sa
n ig h t- s h t b lo c k s a n d im m a n A sh
il e r
h a ll s , to of katras in Sada
ro v e m e nt
p

to
e d slu m -dwellers
ris
Unautho
ice tax
pay serva r / N e w D e lh i
um should c
ollect
CD
R a je s h K u m that the M es between Rs 10
ori se d sl c h a rg
of unauth service th fr o m
Residents l h a v e to p a y R s 2 0 p e r m o n Chief
n ts w il h e a n d it. Delhi
se tt le m e e v e ry m o
n th . T lling un
each dwe h e il a D ik sh it h a
d
ic e ta x p e rt y S
se rv e o n p ro in is te r
m m it te ed M
e x p e rt c o s h a s re c o m m e n d
ta x re fo rm

176
 Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

The Slum & Jhuggi Jhopri Department is under the overall charge of
the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The
Additional Commissioner is responsible for implementation of various
schemes. He is assisted by Deputy Commissioners, Directors, Joint
Directors and other officers of the engineering wing. The schemes
are implemented by the Department in seven zones and sixteen
divisions of Delhi. Primarily the schemes are relocation of squatters
and in-situ upgradation. Sites and service plots of 18 square metres
are provided to the eligible squatter families having Ration Cards with
cut-off date 31 January 1990 and 12.5 square metre plots to families
having post-1990 Ration Cards with effect from 1990 to December
1998.

Slum Realities
For those living in a slum the outlook is bleak. Records from ASHA,
a NGO involved in the empowerment of slum communities, show
that:
• 1,500 slum colonies in Delhi house over 3 million people.
• The average population density in a shanty town is 3 lac people per
square kilometre.
• An average dwelling houses 6-8 people, yet measures 6ft by 8ft.
• The under 5 mortality rate is 149 per 1,000 live births.
• One water pump serves on average 1,000 people.
• Many slums have no latrine facilities.
• Where latrines are provided, the average is 1 latrine per 27 house-
holds.
• 40% of children are severely malnourished.
• In Delhi, about 40,000 children are labourers, 30,000 assist in shops,
another 30,000 work in tea shops, and 20,000 in auto repair shops.
1 lac children are part time or full time domestic helps.

177
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

• 75% of men and 90% of women living in slums are illiterate.

Review of the Functioning of the Department

The Government of NCT Delhi releases grants-in-aid quarterly to
the Department under Plan heads for implementation of various
schemes as shown in Table 1. During the period from 1997-98 to
2001-02, the Department took up the execution of 15 schemes
including the Centrally Assisted Slum Development Programme. The
actual expenditure on these schemes was Rs 212.79 crore as against
the allotment of Rs 205.44 crore. This included expenditure of Rs
110.07 crore incurred against receipts of Rs 109.10 crore for the
Centrally Assisted Programme.
Table 1: Funds Allocation and Expenditure (Rs in lac)
Year Receipts Expenditure (+)Excess
(-) Saving
1997-1998 3,587.87 4,042.09 (+) 454.22
1998-1999 4,129.34 4,403.94 (+) 274.60
1999-2000 4,097.78 3,793.74 (-) 304.04
2000-2001 4,763.25 5,043.46 (+) 280.21
2001-2002 3,966.24 3,995.59 (+) 29.35
Total 20,544.48(a) 21,278.82(b) (+) 734.34
Source: Government of NCT Delhi. 2002. CAG Report
Note: (a) includes receipts of Rs 10,909.61 lac for Central Programme
(b) Expenditure on Central Programme: Rs 11,006.55 lac

Finances of the Department

A review of their targets and achievements as mentioned in the CAG
Report would put the critical appraisal of them in perspective.
• As against a target of development of 75,000 sites and service plots
for relocation of jhuggis, the Department could only achieve less
than 45% (Ninth Five Year Plan Appraisal) of the target. This is
when the CAG Report states that ‘there was no scientific basis
under-lying the targets.’ It also indicted the Government of NCT
Delhi for releasing funds regularly to the Department only on the
basis of the rough estimates without insisting on a detailed survey
being carried out.
• The number of JJ Clusters increased from 929 in 1990 to 1,100 in

178
 Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

2001 despite adoption of a three-pronged strategy for relocation of

the existing JJ Clusters. The three-pronged strategy emphasised that
no fresh encroachment should be permitted after 31 January 1990.
• No foolproof system was devised by the Department to verify the
authenticity of ration cards, which resulted in allotment of plots on
the basis of fake or bogus ration cards. A sample verification proved
unjustified allotment in more than 50% of the cases that were
referred.
• The Department failed to provide the intended minimum basic
amenities like Jansuvidha complexes, potable water, basti vikas kendras,
community toilet/ bathrooms, to beneficiaries due to its lax attitude
and achievement of targets ranged between 29% and 42% only, in
spite of utilization of the entire funds of Rs. 19.49 crore on these
activities.
Table 2 displays the schemes that were found infeasible and dropped
Table 2: Schemes Found Infeasible and Dropped (Rs in lac)
Name of the Scheme Ninth Five Year
Plan Outlay (Rs in Lac)
Establishment of permitted squatting zone 4,000.00
Acquisition of land for relocation of JJ Clusters 4,150.00
Innovation and research 75.00
Source: Government of NCT Delhi. 2002. Appraisal of Ninth Five Year Plan. Department
of Planning

by the Department.
Any sympathies for the constraints under which the Slum & JJ
Department functions should be reserved until a review of their
financial management is taken into account.
The CAG Report indicts the Department of failing to maintain
agency-wise accounts of money due and deposited by land-owning
agencies. This failure would not seem gross unless it is seen in the
light of the fact that of the deposits totalling Rs 141.62 crore received
from the land-owning agencies, the Department did not furnish details
of utilisation of Rs 71.62 crore. The Department invested the rest Rs
70 crore as fixed deposit receipts in various banks. One would wonder
as to the aim of this money being deposited in banks. The CAG Report
explains that the interest earned on deposits totalling Rs 13.12 crore
was diverted to non-plan expenditure of the Department, in effect to

179
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

the salaries of the staff. A large number of bankers in fact further state
that a fair amount of commission is paid to the Departments whose
deposits they hold.
Other criticisms about the Department included:
Unrealistic Achievement of Targets
Over and above the normal assistance, the Government of India
provided funds for slum development from the year 1997–98 onwards
under this scheme. The components of the scheme included provision
of basic amenities such as water supply, drainage, community latrines,
community baths. These overlapped with the existing schemes of the
Department. It was observed that there was no correlation between
the targets and achievements since the achievements registered under
the respective main schemes were also included in this Programme.
Separate accounts of each scheme under the programme were required
to be maintained, which was not done.
Illegal Sale of Plots
As per the terms and conditions of allotment of plots, sale and purchase
of the plots is illegal and the allottee has no ownership right on the
plot. Allotment of the plot would be cancelled automatically if it is
found to be used by any person other than the allottee or his/her family.
The Department did not, however conduct any survey on a regular
basis to detect such cases nor did any mechanism exist to curb/control
the illegal sale of such plots. The CAG Report observed that plots
allotted to slum dwellers were sold/changed hands in about 75% of
the cases. The purpose of relocation was defeated, violating the
provisions of the scheme.
Improper Inspections of Works
In order to provide basic civic amenities to JJ Dwellers, the Department
assigned the work of construction of 169 Jansuvidha complexes to
different NGOs during the years 1994-95 to 2000-01. However, no
inspections/ checks were prescribed to ensure proper functioning. The
Additional Commissioner of the Department also observed that these
complexes were not functioning properly in the absence of an effective
control mechanism to oversee the maintenance of the complexes.
By now, a creeping doubt for the reader would be about the presence
of any effective enforcement/ monitoring systems in place to check
the functioning of the Department. According to the CAG report,

180
 Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

the ‘Enforcement Divisions failed to perform the assigned function.’

They elaborated that Enforcement Divisions in all the three Circles
headed by an Executive Engineer were exclusively responsible for
protecting land, preventing unauthorised construction/ encroachment
and to keep a proper check on the assets of the Depart-ment. A test-
check of the records of Enforcement Divisions, Circles 1 and 2,
revealed that no assets or properties were transferred to them and no
work of encroachment removal or protection of land was ever
undertaken by the Divisions during the last one year. Therefore, the
expenditure of Rs 14.56 lac (approximately) incurred by the Depart-
ment on the pay and allowances of the newly created posts of two
executive engineers and other staff proved unfruitful and the purpose
for which the Divisions were created remained unfulfilled.
The Hindu on 15 February 2002 carried a report where the
Department ‘instead of improving the inhuman conditions in 1,000
of slum clusters across the Capital, has opted to invest in hi-profile
facilities…It is going ahead with the construction of a posh Nigam
Habitat Centre in about eight acres in West Delhi… it is also construc-
ting a mini stadium and a hostel for players in West Delhi.’

Reforms
The approach to solving the problem of slums starts by understanding
that slums are not a problem. Approximately half of the population of
Delhi belongs to slums. These slum dwellers primarily consti-tute
your domestic help, the neighbourhood vegetable vendor, the
newspaper delivery-boy, the local scrap dealer, the plumbers, the
electricians and many others. They constitute the 'informal sector'—
the economist’s jargon for a vast pool of low skilled, low wage workers
who sometimes work in dangerous environs. Without the intricate
web of services provided by these people, families would not have
their existing comfort level. According to statistics from UNCHS
(Habitat)’s Global Urban Observatory, the informal sector accounts
for an astounding 66.7 percent of total employment in Delhi, that the
corresponding figure for Mumbai is 68 percent and Chennai, 60.6
percent.
These migrants primarily from the neighbouring states settle in already
overcrowded slums where safe drinking water is scarce and sanitation
facilities virtually non-existent. Worst is the insecurity of tenure.

181
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

Anyday, a hut can be demolished. Even if a shanty dweller has the

money, h/she is reluctant to invest in upgrading his/her dwelling. And
yet, as case study after case study from the developing world demon-
strates, providing slum dwellers security of tenure has dramatic results.
The face of a colony changes where the residents have security of
tenure. It becomes cleaner. The slum dwellers, often in partnership
with NGOs, learn quickly how to negotiate for better facilities.
The slum issue in Delhi has been complicated by politics and further
aggravated by weak departmental functioning which has led to the
problem being given an exaggerated dimension than it really deserves.
Of approximately 1,100 slum clusters in Delhi covering almost 4,000
hectares of land, only under 10 clusters occupy private lands.
According to the 2001-2002 Economic Survey of Delhi, the Delhi
Development Authority, the Slum & JJ Department, the Land and
Development Organisation and the Railways own the most amount
of land. The fact is, there is more than ample land within the territory
of Delhi to rehabilitate the entire slum population and also for the
other sections of society that are finding it increasingly difficult to
survive in Delhi. If all the slums are to be relocated, a total of 7,000
acres or 2,800 hectares of land are required. Nearly 32,500 acres or
13,000 hectares of wasteland exists within Delhi.
Experiences from world-over on the thorny issue of slums have
shown that there is no one solution that can address all concerns. It
has to be dealt on a case-by-case basis. Policy solutions have been
advocated earlier but with little perceptible improvement. The point
not to be missed here is that an effective department can do a lot to
translate policy solutions into achievable reality and the Slum & JJ
Department has been found to be singularly lacking in this respect.
Understandably, the Slum & JJ Department's existence depends on
the continued existence of slum clusters. Hence there is a conflict of
interest. A time-bound plan should be prepared by the Department
for the in-situ rehabilitation of slum communities on the lines of
Dharavi in Mumbai where multi-storeyed buildings are being
constructed with allotment to existing slum dwellers and sale to other
families. So real estate developers could be allowed to build housing
societies in the encroached areas, then allot flats to the slum dwellers
and sell the remaining ones at his discretion. The Department could
then be merged with the Urban Development Department for

182
 Slum and JJ Department (MCD)

provision and upgradation of civic services.

Prevention of future encroachments should include penalty
measures for the land-owning agencies like lapse of land to the state
government if any encroachments are not removed within 3 months.
Right now there are no incentives for any government agency to try
and protect its land from encroachment, but government agencies
among themselves are extremely chary of losing land and consequent
authority to another. So if the Delhi Development Authority is not
able to remove en-croachments from its land within 3 months, the
land falls unto ownership of the Delhi government. Also most
government agencies own land far in excess of their requirements.
Such excess land could be surveyed and sold to private parties for
provision of low-cost housing.
An effective long-term measure to limit further encroachment of
present unoccupied areas would be to deregulate the Delhi Rent
Control Act and hence give rise to low rents as well as low cost
housing. The regulations have aggravated the housing deficit. Because
landlords are forced to accept low rents, many choose to leave
apartments vacant and deteriorating rather than lease them. The result:
a perpetually acute housing shortage that has kept property prices
artificially inflated. According to the India Today, the Rent Control
Act is responsible for over three lac vacant houses in Delhi. Kathmandu
in Nepal neither has rent controls nor any slums!
—Prepared by Naveen Mandava

References
Municipal Corporation of Delhi. 2002. Civic Guide
Government of NCT Delhi. 2002. Economic Survey of Delhi 2001-02. Department of
Planning
http://www.asha-india.org
http://www.anangpur.com
India Today. 2003. How We Live: Census India Household Survey. 28 July
Patralekha Chatterjee. Shadow Lives: Urban India’s Informal Economy

183
D E L H C I T I Z E N H A N D B O O K 2003

184