Slums and Planning in Urban India: A Case Study of Amritsar City

Slums constitute the habitat of a sizeable group of people in Indian cities and they perform vital functions for their maintenance and sustenance. These are not only manifestation of poor housing standards, lack of basic services and denial of human rights, but are also symptoms of dysfunction of urban societies where inequalities are not only tolerated but allowed to perpetuate. The chapter is based on the empirical studies available in literature and the long personal experience of the authors. It consists of three parts. In the first part state of slums and perception about them has been discussed, the second part deals with the overall view of urban development in relation to slums in India. The third and the last part, based on a case study of a metropolitan city of Punjab-Amritsar, examines the present state of slums and why they are being treated as unwanted and ignored in the planning process. It explores the relationship between urban development, society and the state.