Curious case of urban slums: The way forward

The binge of urbanism, seen as a by-product of industrialization has led to the modern problem of urban slum settlements. With 863 million people in 2012 living under its suffocating ruse, tackling and controlling its spread remains a vital political and administrative issue. Governments have tried to combat this in multiple ways-broadly falling under the two categories of in situ slum development and resettlement. This paper tries to critically analyse the debate between these two modes of rehabilitation of slum dwellers using two distinct case studies. It tries to argue that stakeholders being a part of the rehabilitation project give in situ development an edge over the alternatives, and largely determine the success of the project. The paper specifically deals with the resettlement project of Kannagi Nagar located on the outskirts of Chennai and rehabilitation project in Kathputli Colony of Delhi. It is important to tackle the issue of slum-dwellers in tactical manner lest they create problems for the city in any big way. Resettlement of slum dwellers should be carried out in way which is not only reassuring for them in terms of their livelihood and income security but also basic amenities such as sanitation, water supply and electricity.