Surveying Slums Process of Survey and Use of Data

Shahana Sheikh (ssheikh@cprindia.org) is with the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi; Subhadra Banda (Subhadra_Banda@hks16. harvard.edu) is a graduate student at Harvard University, the US. With an increased policy emphasis on slum surveys, the story of such surveys in Delhi assumes importance, including the “power to survey” vested in the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board. There is a need to closely analyse the way in which such surveys are carried out, the data that are collected, and the purposes for which they might be used. A review of the legal frameworks on slum surveying and the case of Delhi reveal that there is much variation in the process of data collection. Surveys that determine the mode of rehabilitation of a slum have life-changing implications for residents, and survey processes have to be accurate and participative. The process of surveying slums in India has a long and complicated history. Residents of slums in Indian cities have experienced being surveyed by different agencies—in some cities, the urban local body (ULB) has conducted surveys, whereas in others it has been slum improvement boards established by state governments. These processes have usually been designed by the agency carrying out the survey, and, consequently, their implementation has varied greatly across cities. Section 1 of this paper discusses slum surveying in some of India’s largest cities. This analysis is based on a review of the existing legal and administrative frameworks applicable to various states and cities. Section 2 explains the context of slum surveys in Delhi, including the relevant defi nitions of slums and the “power to survey” them vested in the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). Section 3 analyses recent data on jhuggi jhopdi (slum dwelling) clusters (JJCs) in Delhi. We conclude that apart from concerns over the transparency of such slum survey data, the process of collecting it and its use, and possible abuse, need to be carefully understood, especially in the light of a growing policy emphasis on slums and their rehabilitation.