Why Demolition Should Figure As The Last Option For Authorities

The job of urban planners is a difficult one. While great minds put their combined efforts to develop institutional, official and private buildings that define the cities they stand in over a long period of time, out of nowhere and at a great speed, informal settlements mushroom overnight. The grand plans made in uber-cool formal buildings often go weak when confronted with the tiny-dingy dwellings blooming without permission near business districts of almost all Indian cities.

In a scenario such as this, demolition seems the only option to cut it all clean. But, this is an option better not chosen.

To say the least, demolition is a thankless job. Not only do those carrying out the task expose themselves to public wrath, the exercise is also highly likely to end into a wild goose chase for them.  A demolition process would, without a fail, involve a lot of resistance from the people at the receiving end. Of all things almost impossible to deal with in the world of urban planning, handling public unrest can easily top the list. Many a redevelopment project in India failed to kick off because residents declared they would rather live in their existing shabby homes than have the jhuggis in the area demolished and rebuilt. The reasons for this could be many, but the end result is that schemes made on paper remain there for a long time and then vanish into thin air.

And then, there are other considerations.

Owing to the large-scale informal businesses thriving in the dingy lanes of Mumbai's infamous slum area Dharavi, residents have said a clear no to government's redevelopment plans. The informal economy of Dharavi, private estimates show, has an annual turnover of $1 billion, and employs close to a million people. The resistance is understandable. If the dingy dwellings of Dharavi make way for tiny-brick homes, many would lose their jobs and the lives they live here.

Also, demolition is in no way, an easier task than building. In fact, it is more difficult. Carrying out demolition work and replacing slums with skyscrapers might sound like a revolutionary idea on paper, but it involves issues that are complex in nature and investments that are hard to find. As a result of that, developers stay away from such government projects.

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