Slums are an integral part of urban areas and contribute significantly to their economy through their labour market contributions and informal production activities. The density of slum shelters is substantially high, making slum areas highly congested and without having facilities of drinking water, roads, street lights and drainage.

Unhygienic and dismal squalid environment prevailing in the slums is not only the source of spreading diseases in the city, but also it is a disgrace for those who live in it. It is also disgrace for the authority and road passers, even though slum dwellers are contributors to the city's growth and prosperity.

The poor represent an extremely important element of the urban labour force and contribute substantially to total productivity and labour market competitiveness. Surat Municipal Corporation has recognized the contribution of the urban poor in helping to build city prosperity and decided to make sufficient provision for them to have access to affordable land, house site and services.

Looking to the physical condition and life of slum dwellers, it is quite essential to upgrade the slums by providing site and service schemes and ready built housing schemes.

Though slum shelters are being upgraded with all basic infrastructure facilities, the ultimate environment remains typical slum environment.

City without slums is the goal and objective of Surat Municipal Corporation, for which the Slum Upgradation Cell is its special purpose vehicle. Therefore, to reach this goal, it has been decided to rehabilitate the slums in the EWS housing colonies, which can definitely provide the hygienic environment and help to get rid of typical slum environment. The slums so upgraded will definitely provide a hygienic and aesthetics importance to the city.

The functions of the Slum Upgradation Cell can be broadly classified into two categories as below :

Slum Upgradation

Surat Municipal Corporation is providing basic infrastructure facilities like water supply, drainage, roads, street light, nursery schools etc. since many years. 10% of municipal budget is allocated every year under section 63 / 2 for providing the basic infra-structure in slum area. Till March 2006, about 70-80% of slums have been provided all the basic services. It is estimated that about 125 crores of rupees has been spent for this mission. However this activity is mainly carried out by zones of Surat Municipal Corporation.

Slum Rehabilitation

As per this category the slum dwellers and the citizens falling in the EWS category can avail ready built houses on a different plot of land then the existing slums in a total new hygienic environment.

1. Site & Service Scheme: Surat Municipal Corporation had started the site & service scheme on large scale from the year 1994. The slum pockets located on important public roads as well as on important public lands required for city development was vacated by shifting the hutments. The effected hutments were shifted to other SMC land by providing them individual open plot of 3.0m x 5.0m size with all basic infrastructure facilities. The cost of land and infrastructure is borne by SMC. About 12,200 households have been rehabilitated upto May 2006 on 22 various sites with the total expenditure of Rs. 58.60 crores.
2. Built House Approach: Surat Municipal Corporation has implemented several housing projects under Government's housing schemes for urban poor. Also, slum dwellers on road alignment and other such inappropriate location have been shifted to the houses built under these housing schemes. The built house approach for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers and urban poor is carried out under the following three categories.

1. EWS Housing
2. VAMBAY Housing
3. LIG Housing

For more Information contact :
Slum Upgradation Cell,
Room No 120, Surat Municipal Corporation main office
Muglisara, Surat.
Phone No. (0261) 2423751-56, 2422285-87.
Ext.No. 462.