The need for the campaign
There are, and have been, many attempts with varying degrees of success, to make the Right to Adequate Housing a reality. However, much more needs to be done, especially in the present context.
Recognising only the formalised part of housing as legitimate has several unfortunate consequences. Title to land is not a new phenomenon in India still most vulnerable communities do not have one. Urban areas are assumed to be planned. However, in practice, only a fraction of a city is planned. This ‘planned city’ depends on a large ‘unplanned’ city for much of its services, if not its very survival. It is assumed that those beyond this privileged elite will provide the services to make the planned city habitable. Ironically, this ‘service’ part of the city – both the human and geographic parts – are acutely underserved when it comes to basic services (water, electricity, sewage, schools etc), that the planned city takes for granted. They are deliberately delegitimised and kept at the peripheries of the planned city. As the ‘planned city’ expands, it further delegitimize the unplanned city and its residents invading and occupying the unplanned city at will, often with the backing of ‘the law’. It leads to evictions of the most inhumane order, with little thought to its traumatic effects on children and other vulnerable sections.
Principles and objectives of the campaign
This campaign is based on the principles of life with dignity – of equity, inclusion, and human rights.
To implement these principles, the right of women to housing (seldom recognised and even less fulfilled in a patrilocal society), accessibility by the differently abled, senior citizens, children, and those with special needs will be taken cognizance of. The campaign will strive to bring forth these issues within the ongoing work.
This campaign will provide a multi-stakeholder platform to strengthen these initiatives through coordination, upscaling, and building complementarities on securing the right to adequate housing.
The aim of campaign
Food, clothing, and shelter are the primary needs of all human beings.
The right to housing has been recognised as a fundamental right flowing from Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is indisputable that secure housing has many cascading benefits, and multiplier effects, including on longevity, mental health, and productivity with multi-generational consequences.
This campaign aims to secure the right to adequate housing for all in urban India.