Urban Development Induced Rehabilitation of Slums in Bengaluru: Tracing Gender Sensitivity and Agency
K C Smitha and Barun Dev Pal
Abstract
The study explores the impact of development-induced resettlement policy implemented by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) metro project evicting two slums and eventually displacing them in the city of Bengaluru. The main objective of the study is to assess the impact of relocation on slum dwellers, particularly women. Some of the key parameters examined include socio-economic conditions, livelihood status, and employment and socio-economic mobility. The key focus of the study area includes two slums, namely Basaveshwaranagar and Jai Bheema Nagar, which were affected by the implementation of the BMRCL project (Phase I) in the city. The study applies the “before and after” framework to capture their socio-economic conditions, livelihood status, and mobility issues. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data. Findings from the study clearly show that spatial relocation to new areas has seriously affected women’s occupational and economic mobility, particularly among those who are uneducated and elderly. As a result, women’s contribution to the family’s income has drastically reduced, thereby exacerbating the spatial reproduction of urban poverty. Hence, one can state that spatial relocation reinforces the economic and social marginalisation of urban poor and in particular women by curtailing their socio-economic mobility. Moreover, any changes in the relocation caused by developmental activities, such as the metro-rail project (infrastructure), perpetuate spatial inequality. An inescapable truth is that the gender dimension in governance, urban development, and planning stands virtually ignored. Embedding a gender perspective into urban governance is imperative for creating an inclusive city.