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The Pune Slum Census: Creating a Socio-Economic and Spatial Information base on a GIS for integrated and inclusive city development 4. Information for accountable planning One of the major reasons of inequitable service distribution is the current political system existing within the PMC Local councillors have access to funds to invest in services within their administrative ward. The relationship between the councillor and the poor communities is strong, defined mainly by mutual dependency: services for a vote is seen as a ‘fair’ exchange. The census visually demonstrates these inequities. Water supply is one example of uneven and inefficient service provision patterns highlighted by the project. The current system means that politicians are able to provide for areas in their own wards, and this influence can also include permissions for individual connections. While increased provision for people undoubtedly a good thing, there is a risk that some areas receive investments at the expense of others which continue to lack very basic provision. For example, Hanuman Nagar, a hill-slope settlement in the Kothrud area of Pune, has 100 common taps, despite the high cost of providing this to a hill-slope slum. In addition, 54% of households here have their own water connections, which means the household to common water tap ratio is 5.5:1 See Map3: Hanuman nagar water supply . In Gandhinagar, Yerawada, almost all the houses have individual connections. (Map When this was shown to a Councillor he said….” Why has the Slum Department kept so many common water connections open? It is well known that nobody looks after the common facilities, so the taps leak. We are losing a precious city resource. I have to bring this up in my next meeting.”  MAP 3: The Sangam Bridge is to be widened by 20 metres. Now 795 families will be affected. These are the questions urban planners can start to deal with. If provision of services, especially water, is based on political patronage, then the Municipal Corporation has to tackle that to receive basic services is a ‘right’ not a favour. Access to water is not simply access to a basic service, but an essential need. In some slums, people wake up at night to stand in long queues to collect vessels of water. The stresses of inadequate water supplies create tremendous strains on people, especially women’s health. Women and men are willing to get into physical battles with their neighbours because of queue jumping or for taking an extra vessel of water vii . Resettlement is another area where legal provision for including slum dwellers in urban development is compromised by a lack of information. Slum dwellers that are resident prior to 1995 are, according to state law, eligible for resettlement if evicted by a development project or for other reasons. In practice, however, this resettlement rarely materialises. One reason for this is that the Municipal Corporation and other authorities have no data or system of data collection with which to establish which houses are affected by a development scheme, the size of the affected population, or other relevant information. Thus either the development proceeds without provision for resettlement, or else the project itself is blocked if local councillors supported by the slum dwellers are sufficiently influential. |