Abstract:

India is undergoing significant urbanisation, with projections indicating that 50% of its population will inhabit urban areas by 2050, an increase from 31% in 2011. Furthermore, 70% of India's GDP is derived from urban regions, and this contribution is steadily increasing. Urban residents possess superior economic prospects and access to civic amenities that are unavailable to rural populations. However, rather than being urban residents, slum inhabitants in India, and specifically in West Bengal, possess a markedly distinct narrative.

In West Bengal, 122 out of 129 statutory towns (94.57%) contain slums, which house 22% of the urban population; Old Malda Municipality in Malda District is among these towns. The Old Malda Municipality has been selected as a case study due to the absence of research conducted on it despite its extensive history and the fact that 36.65% of its population resides in slums. We regard studies on unusual issues as crucial.

Our comprehensive examination into the prevailing issue reveals that the slum dwellers of Old Malda Municipality are socially and economically backward, lacking essential municipal amenities such as housing, water, power, sanitation, and drainage systems. Both types of data have been used to get a productive conclusion. Primary data was obtained via a field survey from 120 respondents from several slums within the municipality, while secondary data was sourced from numerous research articles, census data and government reports.

Keywords:

Slums, Basic Amenities, Municipality, Sanitation, Housing

Aim/Objectives

Methods