The Urban Informal Sector and Housing

With urban population in India growing rapidly, a non-elitist section is created in each growing city. This Section of Society is referred to as the Urban Poor, characterized by an economy which is "below subsistence level", poor Quality of Life, over burdened and/or nonexistent facilities, amenities and basic services. Their "informal" status excludes them from the benefits accrued by mainstream "legal" citizens. They occupy slums within a city, live in shanties and squatter settlements, and work on a daily-wage-basis. Their numbers follow a multiplier growth pattern. They encroach upon prime urban land, live in non habitable dwellings. A conventional pucca (permanent) house is far beyond their means. With all good intentions, the Government is unable to provide them affordable houses. They ask for daily bread, but are offered a piece of cake. There is no control on sky rocketing land prices, as well as those of the conventional building materials like cement concrete steel or bricks, and thereby the unit cost of construction. In this scenario, the Government policies recommend, disproportionately smaller and substandard conventional pucca (permanent) houses, while research in laboratories on alternative materials with much better performance, continues with satisfactory outcomes. One of these materials, which has been proven to be safe, structurally stable and durable, is Bamboo. A case has thus been prepared, for questioning some of the Government policies, definitions and procedures, in an attempt to accommodate this material for housing the urban poor, in order to combat the rising un- affordability of modest dwelling units.