The constitutional machinery in Bihar is sheer failure.Here are some
solutions to bring derailed Bihar on track The picture that conjures up in our minds, when we talk about slums, is that of a dirty, unhygienic cluster of impoverished shanties with long lines of people crowding around a solitary municipal water tap, bowling babies literally left on street corners to fend for themselves and endless cries and found voices emanating from various corners. Most of them are engaged in eking out their daily lives, always below the poverty line, by working as construction labourers, domestic helps, rag pickers and chhotus in neighbourhood dhabas. Though their living conditions are utterly unhygienic, gloomy, dismal and dehumanized, many of them still dream of improving the quality of their lives. The majority of slum dwellers identify themselves with the city rather than with their native place and plan to settle permanently in the city. In spite of poor conditions in slums, second generation residents who are not nostalgic about their rural background feel that life in slum is reasonably tolerable and city life is probably better than rural life. They greatly value improving their working situation through getting a better job, yet have low aspirations and have an optimistic view of their chances of improving their socioeconomic status. Many of the younger generation, irrespective of gender, income level and educational attainment e!press their regard for education and foresee upward social mobility for their children by educating their offspring as much as possible. "ur slums are indeed very dingy, dark and dismal. #ut the dark clouds are now fading. $espite the inaction of civic authorities, and despite the efforts of politicians and slum mafia to keep slum dwellers to remain docile, there are definite signs of younger slum dwellers to improve the quality of their lives. %ilver linings are now becoming visible. &lentiful of these was available in rural areas. They were encouraged to come to cities and work. &eople, who migrated to the cities and found work, brought their cousins and rest of the families to the cities. 'nable to find housing and afford it, they decided to build their shelter closer to work. Thousands of shelters were built for the migrating labourers. (onniving governments provided electricity and drinking water. &oliticians looked at the slums as vote bank. They organized these unauthorized dwellers into a political force) hence slums took a bit of a permanent shape. More slums developed as more population moved to the cities. #y mid si!ties Mumbai, *olkata, $elhi, and all other large cities were dotted with slums. +ecent years have seen a dramatic growth in the number of slums as urban populations have increased in the Third ,orld. -ccording to a recent './abitat report, 012 million people live in slums in (ommonwealth countries almost one in si! (ommonwealth citizens. In a quarter of (ommonwealth countries 344 -frican, 1 -sian and 4 &acific5, more than two out of three urban dwellers live in slums, and many of these countries are urbanizing rapidly. Why ??? %lums are the products of failed policies, bad governance, corruption, inappropriate regulations, dysfunctional land markets, unresponsive financial systems and a fundamental lack of political will. 6ach of these failures adds to the toll of people already deeply burdened with poverty. This frustrates the enormous potential for human development that opportunities in urban life offer. 'rbanisation has created a number of problems like shortage of dwelling units, mushrooming growth of jhuggis, encroachment of public land and e!pansion of unauthorized residential colonies. The rapid growth of urbanization is creating a number of problems. ,henever a big project is commenced, a lot of workers migrate to towns in quest of employment. ,ith no proper place to live, they usually encroach public land and the sites earmarked for various developmental projects. This causes e!pansion of jhuggis and unauthorized colonies.Thus building enormous pressure on civic services and creating major bottlenecks in the proper development of cities. Problems &eople residing in slums face many problems like improper sanitation, unhygienic environmental conditions, social, economic, health, educational and cultural problems and many more. The basic problems inherent in slums are /ealth hazards 7ack of basic amenities like safe drinking water, proper housing, drainage and e!creta disposal services, make slum population vulnerable to infections. These further compromise the nutrition requirements of those living in slums. It is projected that more than half of the Indian population will live in urban areas by 1818 and nearly one third of this urban population will be slum dwellers. The ongoing process of rapid urbanization has deleterious repercussions on health and nutrition, especially for children. Malnutrition in young children has longterm negative effects on physical and cognitive development. The major causes of childhood malnutrition in slum population are inappropriate child feeding practices, infections, improper food security and suboptimal childcare besides poor availability and inadequate utilization of health care services. -ddressing nutritional problems of urban poor is essential for overall development of the country. Lack of sanitary conitions &oor sanitary conditions and poor quality of water lead to illnesses like diarrhoea and other water borne diseases, affecting the life e!pectancy of slum dwellers. -ccording to a recent case study, water and sanitation diseases are responsible for 98 per cent of environmental health. -mong water borne diseases, diarrhoea disproportionately affects children under the age of five. &oor health among children adversely affects the attendance rate at schools. In dense, overcrowded urban conditions it is often difficult for people to find space to build latrines. Many have to defecate in the open or share whatever limited facilities are available which tend to offer no privacy, safety or hygiene. #ecause of human waste and refuse collecting in stagnant pools spread disease and contaminate water sources. The problem is made worse during the rainy season when rubbish and e!crement are washed into cramped living areas. In these conditions it is virtually impossible to remain healthy and clean. $iseases spread rapidly among the crowded conditions and the little money that slum dwellers earn often has to be spent on medicines to help the sick recover. "ften these settlements are unofficial and so, without any legal tenure, the people living there are not entitled to get connections to basic facilities like water and sanitation. These settlements are also vulnerable to demolition as governments reclaim the illegally occupied land for other usages. Social !roblems The slum environment is the perfect breeding ground for a wide range of social problems. /igh unemployment often causes men to stay around the home growing increasingly frustrated with their pathetic situation and the worsening poverty. (ramped conditions mean that there is nowhere to go when tensions rise, a factor that regularly leads to domestic violence. %ometimes the situation goes to the other e!treme, where people abandon their homes, lured by the prospect of oblivion through alcohol or drug abuse. "nce people develop such problems the prospects of finding work diminish. They fall deeper into poverty and the cycle continues. "hil labo#r Many children in the slums start work at a very early age with no prospect of getting any education. They make money by rag picking 3trawling through rubbish dumps to retrieve anything that can be sold5, selling newspapers in traffic jams, peddling drugs or begging. They are at risk of e!ploitation as well as all the health problems that accompany their lifestyles. Incest and abuse can occur and child marriages are still encouraged in some areas. $nternal an e%ternal corr#!tion %ome people manage to achieve a high status within slums and establish themselves as slumlords. They are often allies of certain politicians and gain control of sizeable chunks of the community land. #y renting out the land, they make huge financial gains while everyone living in the slum struggles to survive on their meager earnings. The slumlords form elaborate links with local politicians, government officials and the police, and slum dwellers become dependent on them for the smallest of amenities. They have little empathy with the slum residents and e!ploit them by charging highly inflated prices for illegal electricity and water supplies or for constructing huts. The men do not like to see the women becoming more powerful through forming women:s groups as one of their main concerns is keeping the slum dwellers helpless and under their control. The sheer volume of people living in slums causes them to be obvious targets for politicians wanting to increase their percentage of the vote. %lum inhabitants are often promised all kinds of support and improvements in return for political allegiance, but their trust is regularly abused. &ener $ne'#ality ;emale babies in the slums of India can face discrimination and poor treatment from their very first moments, if they are given a chance of life at all) although gender specific abortion is illegal in India, it is still practiced in some places. Male children are seen as a blessing and indulged in many areas of Indian society. (hildren born into the deprived and harsh environment of the slums may not be as fortunate, but male babies are still given better treatment than the girls. #oys tend to be healthier as they are given better food in greater quantities, and they are also more likely to be sent to school. In contrast, girls are seen as a drain on precious resources as they will one day get married and their contribution towards the family will end. To make up for this, they are forced to work from an early age and any ambitions regarding schooling or future careers are discouraged. ,ith that kind of start in life, it:s difficult for women within the slums to find a voice. They are used to getting little support from their embers and are not usually considered worth consulting on family matters. The sheer volume of people living in slums causes them to be obvious targets for politicians wanting to increase their percentage of the vote. Sol#tions &roblems of the slum can be dealt by little initiative taken by the government, .<"s and employers. %ome of the possible solutions can be "o#ntries nee to reco(ni)e that the #rban !oor are acti*e a(ents an can contrib#te to national (ro+th, 7ocal authorities and national governments should collaborate with the organizations of the urban poor in upgrading slums and providing alternatives to slum formation. ,henever a worker migrates to a city for work his employer must ensure that he is provided with appropriate accommodation. This should be the responsibility of all big and small employers. Mana(in( cities re'#ire local sol#tions. 7ocal authorities need to be empowered with financial and human resources to deliver services and infrastructure to the urban poor. (ities should draw up local longterm strategies for improving the lives of slum dwellers. Local (o*ernments sho#l e*elo! strate(ies to !re*ent the formation of ne+ sl#ms. These should include access to affordable land, reasonably priced materials, employment opportunities, and basic infrastructure and social services. P#blic in*estments m#st foc#s on !ro*iin( access to basic ser*ices an infrastr#ct#re,orking with the urban poor, cities need to invest in housing, water, sanitation, energy, and urban services, such as garbage disposal. These services and infrastructure must reach the poor living in informal settlements. Role of the (o*ernment an the -&Os. In a usual scenario a migrated laborer secures a job with security agencies, waste management service providers, contractors, householders etc. They usually employ slum dwellers as rag pickers, sweepers, construction labors, masons, carpenters, domestic helps etc. ;or such migrating labors there should be a centrali)e labor re(istration center where they can register themselves and secure their labor I$ number. These centers should have direct contact with prospective employers and they should try to find suitable jobs for these workers according to their skills. These migrated labors should also be allotted dwelling units and the accommodation e!penses should be borne by their respective employers. The dwelling units should be located on the outskirts of the town and transport facilities should be made available to the workers in order to make commutation easy for them. 7ocating proper dwelling units on the outskirts would minimize the proliferation of dingy slums in the city. -long with these arrangements certain regulations should be made by the government= - minimum wage rate should be created for workers immigrating to town. (omputerized I$ numbers should be allotted to the laborers for maintaining records. 6%I dispensaries and counseling services should be provided in dwelling areas. -ll labors should be centrally registered %trict rules should be formulated to prevent the misuse of funds. -im for 4 7akh units of construction every si! months. Import high volume construction machinery from (hina for the speedy construction. ;actories with a workforce of more than 488 labors should have compulsory dwelling units. The accommodation facilities should be made available before the commencement of any project .<"s can play a vital role in improving the e!isting conditions of slums. .<"s should work for the underprivileged in the slums. .<"s should work in close coordination with government and make sure that the following facilities are available to the slum dwellers= (ounselling services to minimize crime and other problems. #asic amenities like schooling, proper sanitation, potable water, health facilities and common electricity with minimal charges. ;ree weekly medical and healthcare facilities. Manifestation of income and other gaps in health, education, skills, etc. can be seen in slums and squatter settlements of most urban areas in developing countries. %lums are not :problems: that have to be :solved: but are indeed results of lopsided and vested urban policies covering land ownership, infrastructure provision and maintenance, and other socioeconomic issues. -nd for the poor, they represent a solution. The need of the hour is to find light in the darkest of the dark scenario and infuse life in the lives that are still waiting for the silver lining. .ain( ark clo#s &overty, slums and urban squat can be controlled in ne!t couple of decades. +eversal of this phenomenon will begin after sufficient economic progress had been made. 6ight percent <$& growths is a good sign. ,ith quadrupled <$& in 1> years, there is a good chance that the new and upcoming generation may stay away from slum dwelling. It may take another 1> years before the slums are vacated. Sil*er linin( The problems prevailing in slums give us the challenge to rebuild a society that is more equitable where equal opportunities could be provided to all for living with dignity. Many hurdles have to be overcome to achieve this objective. The despair of the underprivileged has to be replaced with hope, their fear with security, and their ignorance with knowledge. <ive them the opportunity to secure good health, immunity from curable diseases, employment opportunities, sufficient and nutritious food, clean water and a clean environment, capability to protect their children against e!ploitation and discrimination. Their children should have the right to get adequate education for becoming responsible citizens of India. %lum dwellers should be empowered to enable them to improve the quality of their own lives