Difference between SRA And Redevelopment, An Expert Guide!
@Deepak Kulaskar – It’s a constitutional right in India under Article 19 and 38 that all citizens shall have the right to move freely throughout India and also to reside and settle anywhere. States cannot delay an individual and eliminate inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities.
India is transiting from rural to semi-urban societies. There is a mismatch between demand and supply of housing in the cities due to the disparity in prices of property and income levels. Lack of equitable supply of land, shelter and services at affordable prices has led to the formation of slums.
The metropolitan areas, however, do not have the infrastructure required to accommodate these huge migrating populations. These factors have caused the rise of a new section of the population: the urban poor.
Slums breed poverty, unemployment leading to illiteracy, child labour, crime and encroachment of public property and unauthorized use of civic utilities. This creates a burden on the City Corporation and infrastructure.
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of slum dwellers increased by six million every year. The number of slum dwellers is estimated to grow by nearly 500 million between now and 2020, according to UN-HABITAT. (Source: UN-HABITAT State of the World’s Cities Report 2010-2011)
SRA – Slum Rehabilitation Association was introduced to improve the living conditions of slum dwellers, and to make them habitable with basic amenities such as clean drinking water, sanitary, street lighting and basic infrastructure. It’s an initiative to accommodate the squatters and alleviate their quality of life.
HOUSING REDEVELOPMENT:
“Housing redevelopment refers to the process of reconstruction of a residential premise by the demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new one as per approvals from the Municipal Corporations.” It ideally works best when a society is in dire need of extensive repairs but is starved of the necessary funds for it. Old constructions, dilapidated buildings on the verge of collapse are a grim reality for thousands of housing societies in urban areas. These dwellers are under life risk with limited amenities.
In Mumbai itself Over 20,000 housing societies, 17,000 cessed buildings and over 3,000 MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) structures are undergoing the redevelopment process. Redevelopment projects provide the members with a new building, more floor space and monetary benefits without having to spend a penny from your pocket. Developers also offer extra amenities like a gymnasium, a generous car park, and high-end security systems, along with the other benefits offered under its redevelopment scheme.
This also gives the corporation a space for developing better infrastructures for increased population, businesses and job opportunities.