Mushrooming of unauthorised colonies in Delhi : A case study of Sangam Vihar
- Nagarlok: Quarterly Journal of Urban Affairs
- 56(4), Dec, 2024: p.488-508
For decades, about one-third of Delhi’s population has lived in unauthorised colonies, lacking basic services, social infrastructure, and even recognition in the city’s master plans. These colonies are not a feasible option for the city’s long-term growth as they are disaster-prone due to a lack of varied municipal facilities and structural faults. The Supreme Court of India has also stated that the proliferation of unlawful colonies across the country is a threat to urban development. Hence, it is critical to thoroughly research these formal but legal, unplanned yet well-developed settlements since they are a solid reality today that cannot be wished away. The objective of the present research paper is to understand the causes, consequences, and extent of the proliferation of unauthorised colonies (UACs) in Sangam Vihar and to understand the efforts made in terms of regularising the UACs by present and previous government and regulatory bodies. The research is exploratory in nature and uses three separate data gathering techniques: document analysis, thematic narrative analysis, and a survey. This study primarily focuses on interviewing, documenting, and analysing the responses of inhabitants of Sangam Vihar, which is one of the largest unauthorised colony of Asia as a whole.- Reproduced