Bhopal, July 2 -- Slum redevelopment in Bhopal rarely begins with people. It begins with maps, surveys, and a push for land. People come in later-as variables to be shifted, not participants in the process.
Over the years, informal settlements have come up in the shadows of government offices, roads, and rail lines. These aren't pockets of idleness-they're neighbourhoods that keep the city going. Tailors, domestic workers, drivers, vendors, sweepers, mechanics, and masons live here. They work nearby, often on foot. Their lives run on nearness, not contracts.
When cities redevelop, these are the places that go first. The plans speak of better housing and cleaner streets, but the real cost is rarely spelled out. What disappears is not just ...