By a High Court ruling in Delhi, the municipality has been ordered to raze all illegal constructions, "and by the MCD's initial reckoning that is an astounding 70-80% of all buildings in Delhi." An estimated 3.2 million buildings now tilt on the brink of disaster. Demolitions have begun and out of actions launched against 18,299 buildings, 900 have already faced demolition squads in one month alone since the teardown operation began. Voted recently as the country's most "lawless" city, Delhi debates the potential impact of displacing 10 million people to the streets. BBC (w/ multiple articles).
Here are some additional reads surrounding India's urban crisis:
Buildings in a hazardous equation | The Rise and Fall of the Squatterscraper | Global Urbanism, India.
3 Comments
Is this anything like what happened in Zimbabwe when Mugabe evicted the neighborhoods that had opposed him?
I don't know if there are the same political motivations, or if it is just plain moneyed urban renewal exercising its course in the new century, in booming India. as always least discuseed in the conversation is where these peeple are supposed to go, and what housing plans they have set up in the wings for these people. tie in all the deed disputes that will probably get erased in the gov's favor, voting rights tied to property rights, immigrants with no legal connection to place whatsoever. Millions of people being herded about the streets. I been there, (fucking amazing, India: my favorite country for sure). But Bombay is the hottest real estate market, Delhi is surely seeing the same patterns of eviction and private development. but this is massive, sweeping, urban cleansing on a new scale, even more systematic than Mugabe's shameless war on the squatters.
i dont know shit though, and would love someone who knows whats going on to speak up.
BBC: Why so much of Delhi is illegal
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