The Problems of Housing: The Case of the Marginalized in the City of Bangalore, India

Deficiency in access to housing is a major manifestation of poverty. In the city of Bangalore, the poor and the marginalized constitute nearly 30 percent of the 8.47 million population (2011 Census) and are living in the nearly 640 slums in addition to squatter settlements and pavements. The city sprawls over an area of 741 sq. kms (2007 estimates) and the poor have very little access to personal living space. According to the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Program guidelines, each household with four average members should have 25 sq. meters of living space. In the case of poor of Bangalore, the attainment of even this minimum is a far cry. In recognition of this acuteness with regard to the problem of housing, the government has introduced schemes like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the Rajiv Awas Yojana. And these schemes have witnessed only a limited success. Whenever the problem of housing for the urban poor is considered, the state and location of slums get into focus. The people living in slums are a crucial and inevitable support to the city economy. Relocation of slum people is fraught with loss of productivity and strain on the transport system and on the incomes of the poor. Their needs like housing, schooling, health centers, creches, hospices etc. have to be provided for. Financial support to the poor with regard to their housing needs will have to be imaginatively provided by banks and related institutions.