The paradox of economic growth in the urban areas is the growing urban poor. In spite of Ajmer’s prominent role in the economy of the region, urban population and especially the urban poor faces serious problems due to population pressure, deterioration in the physical environment and quality of life.
10.1 Existing Situation
According to information available from the AMC and UIT, Ajmer has 73 slums sprawling the city and constitute one-fourth (1,22,590) of the city population. The recent below poverty line estimates for the city show that there are 15,344 families which are below poverty, of which nearly 50% are employed in informal sector of different types of labour activities.
Predominantly these families reside in the slums, where while they have access to safe drinking water, it is limited. Access to other amenities such as sanitation, solid waste disposal, open drains and roads is poor.
Table 10.1: Below Poverty Line Occupation Classification Category of workers Families
Agricultural Labour 401
Other Labour 7957
Agriculture 600
Non-farm activities 1636
Craftsmen 89 Others 4661
Total 15344
The occupational pattern of urban poor in Ajmer varies. Railways provide employment to large section of urban poor and the slum development has been along the railway factory.
Besides this, other major source of primary occupation is informal sector where families work as labourers, construction labourers, trade and services. Women employment is mostly confined to household level economic activity which includes beedi rolling, gotta stiching, bangles, where even girl child is employed. Economic activities vary across the slums and within slums also there are distinct separation. For example, in the Idgah (Andarkot), most of the regularised households have their shops along the access road to the Dargah and shops around Dargah area, whereas the migrant population such as those who have come from Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, are employed as daily labourers, rickshaw pullers and work as labourer in the market. Similarly in Kumhar Basti, there is a high dropout of students from school as they are employed for making agarbattis. On the other hand there is a Sashi basti, where brewing of local alcohol is one of the main occupation.
As per the existing information 67 of the 73 slums are regularised, however, tenure security rests with few households in the regularised settlements. The level of access to basic infrastructure varies across the slums. For example in Harijan Basti (Nagbai), almost all the households have secure land tenure and access to basic infrastructure such as drains, roads, sewage and water supply are far improved in comparison to Gulab Bari. In Gulab Bari, where 95% of the households are primarily employed in Railways, the slum has grown along the railway track, there is no land tenure and they also lack access to basic facilities. Till 1975,
before the floods, these families used to pay a rent to landlord, however, post 1975, the landlord has stopped collecting the rent.
The access to basic infrastructure in the slums leaves lot of scope for improvement. With the exception of Nagbai and Rambagh settlements, which were among the 12 surveyed slums in Ajmer, all other slum settlements lack access to adequate drinking water facility, individual toilets and public toilets, drainage, and garbage disposal. For example, the survey shows that a very small fraction of households have direct water supply connection and rely on 2-3 taps in addition to some hand pumps, most of which are not functional. Exceptions are slums such as Gurjar Dharti and Lohakhan where most of the households have direct water connection.
However, in another slum, Kumhar Basti, the drinking water is not potable. The other problem is related to duration of water supply (45-60 minutes) and frequency of supply (once in 48 or 72 hours).
In terms of access to toilet facility, while many households have constructed individual toilets, due to large household size, open defecation is a common practice. The conditions of public toilets constructed under different schemes are in poor state, as there is lack of maintenance and as a result they are not used. For example, the survey in Namkaran ka Hattha, Rambagh and Sanshi Basti provided evidence that the public toilets constructed under Sulabh Sauchalay were not used mostly because they are not clean, water availability is a problem and lack of maintenance by the assigned staff. The other main problem is lack of covered drains and sewer facility. Since most of the slums are located in marginal areas encroaching on drains, the physical environment in most of them is of poor quality. For example in Namkaran ka Hatha, which is close to the Railway factory, the disposal of waste water from the factory passes through the slum.
In terms of road infrastructure, most of the slums have roads, but majority of the bye-lanes are not metalled and street lighting is inadequate. Street lights are mostly on the main access roads and inner roads are dark, which most of the women amongst the surveyed population expressed as concerns for their security.
In addition to these access to community facilities and health centres in these settlements is limited and not adequate. Across all the slums, the health centres are not adequately equipped with medicines and the households have to procure medicines from open market. These health centres are also not equipped to provide antenatal and postnatal care. Level of education infrastructure is quite adequate across the slums as they have either Anganwadis, Primary school and Secondary school or a combination of them.
However, one of the main problems which exist across all the slums is the lack of knowledge about government programmes and limited reach of social security safety nets. For example, the public distribution system for distribution of subsidised foods and kerosene oil is often inadequate and there is diversion of the essential commodities. Lack of access to these safety nets and limited information about government schemes increases their vulnerability and pushes them further into poverty traps.
10.2 Issues
The condition in the most of the slums barring few is precarious.
The drinking water supplies in the slums are not adequate and even the hours of supply poses difficulty. In summer months, the supply is for 45-60 minutes, once in 3 days, whereas, in remaining months, the supply is every 2 days for same duration. This is further complicated by inadequate number of taps available.
Across the slums, the drains are open and not covered. As a result of them being open drains they are often choked as the garbage is dumped in them. Since most of the slums are on the hill tracts, the open disposal of garbage in drains blocks the drainage system, resulting in flooding, especially during monsoon periods.
Few households have constructed toilets, however, open defecation is common and uses of public toilets are also limited.
The growth in the slums clearly shows lack of implementation of development controls.
For example the slum in the Idgah (Andarkot) has expanded towards the hills and now has started to merge with the slums around the Taragarh fort.
Garbage disposal is another major issue for the urban poor, as the current mechanisms are not adequate. One of the common grievance across all the surveyed slums was absence of identified location within a slum location for garbage disposal.
Community infrastructure is not sufficient and in most of the slums there is limited possibility of adding new community infrastructure, as land availability is a constraint.
Even in slums where these exist, they are hardly used by the people.
In addition to basic services, the other major issues pertain to lack of adequate health infrastructure, limited knowledge regarding government schemes, and inadequate social security safety nets.
10.3 Development Objectives
To promote an integrated slum development project to improve the living condition and quality of life of urban poor.
10.4 Major initiatives / Projects
Integrated Slum Development focusing on improving roads, drainage, sanitation facility and solid waste management. Public interventions will be required in providing basic services to the slums. To the extent feasible community involvement may be secured in maintaining the facilities particularly community toilets, solid waste management etc.
Granting security of land tenure to slums (individually or preferable to groups) will be a major intervention that would enable slum dwellers to access housing finance and improve their shelters over a period of time. Even with increased supply of housing there would be 28000 slum households by 2011. Provision of basic services like paved street, street lights, community (or individual) water supply, and community toilets will have to be extended to these settlements.
Drinking water supply scheme aimed at improving the number of taps and hours of supply
Housing for EWS: In the short run, however, public agencies will have to play a role provider of housing for the EWS. This need not be in the form of fully built houses but in the nature of sites and services. In this case smaller plots (25 to 30sq.m.) with pedestrian accesses and water and sewerage facilities are provided. Water tap and toilet seat are built on the plot. The plot allottee can then build the shelter and improve it as his income improves. By ensuring water and sanitation the environmental hygiene is ensured. There are experiences of such schemes in India, and lessons from them can be used in Ajmer.
10.5 Project Summary
10.5.1 Integrated Slum Development 10.5.2 Drinking water supply 10.5.3 Housing for EWS