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Introduction

As per government estimates, nearly 34% of urbanisation in India, and 10–25% live in unauthorised constructions indicating a silent urban crisis. Despite rapid development schemes and urban renewal efforts, the proliferation of slums reflects persistent policy, economic, and planning failures.

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Reasons for Slum Proliferation in Urban India

• High Property Prices in Cities: Urban land costs in metros push the poor into illegal housing.
  Eg: In cities like Mumbai and Delhi, market housing remains unaffordable for the urban poor, creating a parallel low-cost housing ecosystem in slums.
• Parallel Semi-Legal Housing Markets: Informal real estate arrangements arise where formal housing fails.
  Eg: A shadow housing economy thrives with unregulated rentals and encroachments, offering cheaper alternatives with legal ambiguities.
• Policy Ambiguity and Bureaucratic Dilemma: Authorities remain conflicted between demolition and rehabilitation.
• Short-term Focus of Urban Planning: Cities address symptoms, not root causes, of informal housing.
  Eg: Demolitions and rehabilitation drives occur without systematic planning for mass affordable housing or infrastructure.
• Limited Urban Housing Supply: India underutilises land and fails to scale urban housing initiatives.
  Eg: Top 10 cities occupy just 0.2% of India’s land, yet remain densely crowded due to no expansion into peripheral zones.
• Mismatch Between Employment and Housing Locations: Job opportunities in urban cores don’t align with housing options.
  Eg: Daily wage earners working in central urban zones prefer living in nearby slums rather than commuting from affordable distant areas.
  

Long-term Sustainable Solutions to Address Slum Growth

• Creation of New Cities or Satellite Towns: Decentralise urbanisation by developing new planned cities.
  Eg: Reviving the shelved plan for 100 new smart cities can decongest metros and prevent slum reformation by offering planned growth.
• Utilise Under-allocated Urban Land More Efficiently: Leverage unutilised land for affordable housing.
  Eg: With only 0.2% land area used by top 10 cities, unlocking land through better planning and zoning can expand housing stock.
• Policy Reforms to Ease Land Acquisition: Amend Land Acquisition Act, 2013 for urban development needs.
• Massive Investment in Affordable and Rental Housing: Scale up public-private partnerships in low-cost housing sectors.
  Eg: The success of schemes like PMAY-Urban needs replication with added rental components to cater to migrant workers.
• Labour Mobility and Job-linked Housing in New Cities: Offer employment-linked migration to newer urban centres.
  Eg: Slum dwellers from existing cities can shift to new towns with better housing and full-time jobs, reducing pressure on megacities.
• Strengthen Urban Governance Capacity: Empower local governments to plan and implement holistically.
  Eg: Cities need dedicated urban land-use authorities and housing boards to ensure long-term planning is implemented effectively.
• Enforce Inclusionary Zoning and Mixed-Use Development: Ensure private developments include affordable housing share.
  

Conclusion

The persistent slum proliferation in Indian cities reflects systemic underutilisation of land, lack of long-term planning, and policy inertia. A transformation is needed—from ad hoc demolitions and quick fixes to structural urban expansion. As urbanisation in India is still at 34%, it is both feasible and necessary to develop new cities and satellite towns that provide inclusive, sustainable housing and employment. This is not just about dignity and health—it’s about shaping the future urban fabric of India.

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