[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR PREPARING SLUM PROFILES OF 63 TOWNS IN UTTARAKHAND STATE
(Consultancy Services for Preparing Slum Profiles and Conducting Household Surveys in Slum and Informal Settlements of 63 Towns in Uttarakhand State) (Asian Development Bank Assisted Project)
BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development Investment Programme (UUSDIP) is an Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted programme under Multi Tranche Financing Facility to support the Government of India and Government of Uttarakhand in their policy of balanced regional socio-economic development and poverty reduction through improvements in urban governance, management and infrastructure and service provision throughout the urban sector in Uttarakhand. The Investment Programme is designed to improve the quality of life of urban residents and promote sustainable, efficient, and responsive service delivery in the urban areas of Uttarakhand. The physical investments include rehabilitation and expansion of systems for (i) water supply, (ii) sanitation and sewerage, (iii) solid waste management, (iv) roads and transport, and (v) slum upgrading, in about 63 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of Uttarakhand. Physical improvements are coupled with a capacity development programme to support the implementation of the urban governance, finance, and service-delivery improvement action plan, and to strengthen institutional capabilities of urban local bodies and other service providers. Primary responsibility for providing urban infrastructure and services (except for water supply and sewerage), including on-site sanitation, solid waste management, drainage, road maintenance, street lighting, and slum improvement, lies with ULBs. However, ULBs cannot perform their duties effectively as they lack required organizational capacities and operational and management skills. More importantly, financial resources obtained through urban-based taxes and user charges are insufficient to fund the tasks of urban service delivery.
For slum improvement, interventions will include the provision of bulk water supply and sewerage mains at the entry to slum areas, and improvements to solid-waste management, access roads, street lighting, and drainage in poor communities and slums, which accommodate around 300,000 poor people, accounting for about half of the slum population in the state. The selection, approach, and strategic responses to the broader issues of slum population and poor communities will be based on a state slum upgrading strategy to be developed at the outset of the Investment Program. A demand-led approach to developing community-level infrastructure and services will be followed. Slum upgrading subprojects will be generated through a participatory planning process by communities with the assistance of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Non Government Organizations (NGOs). Support will be provided to ULBs and communities for effective joint functioning in developing, implementing, and sustaining community-based urban upgrading schemes. The component will benefit from, and build on, existing CBOs and NGOs efforts and the Uttarakhand Government’s poverty reduction schemes. The baseline survey would benchmark the current status, physical infrastructure and situations, socio-economic profile of slum-dwellers, access to various on-going schemes, satisfaction level of dwellers for various services including identifying the key problem and issues.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The objective of the Investment Program is economic growth and poverty reduction through provision of urban infrastructure and services, and better governance and management in selected major towns. The activities and subprojects under the Investment Program are designed to operate within the framework of national and state financial policies for the urban sector. The Investment Program will complement the state government effort in implementing the financial reform at ULBs proposed under the 74th CAA and the JNNURM. Also, the Investment Programme will initiate accounting system reform at the state and ULBs, and introduce O&M cost recovery through continuous revision in user charges and property tax.
The main objective of the study is to provide the necessary database for the UUSDIP and 63 ULBs in programme towns for designing the slum infrastructure improvement and socio-economic programs that will improve the lives of the urban poor under the UUSDIP. Documentation of the existing slum situation will typically include four sets of information. They are:
• Slum level information such as area, population, legal status, service delivery status, predominant economic activities, ongoing slum improvement and livelihood promotion programs, etc.;
• Household socio-economic information and their satisfaction level of various services;
• Ongoing successful initiatives on slum improvement and social development undertaken in these towns; and
• A sketch of the slums that contains current physical infrastructure and social capital.
COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT
The household survey of slums would cover both macro and micro level assessment of the resource base, systems and institutions, etc. This would be done with the help of interview suggested by the Government of India in formats and guidelines for survey and preparation of slum profile, household profile and livelihood profile of cities/towns. The study will focus on collection of all relevant details about the quantity and quality aspects that could be useful in generating sound database for the slums in the state.
The baseline study would consist of PRA based macro (slum) level assessment and survey based micro (household) level assessment. The unit of data collection will be households, as well as community organizations, people’s representatives/ office bearer, officials from Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS), Uttarakhand Jal Nigam (UJN), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Mayor, Chairperson, Ward Corporators, NGO etc.
While the data for the baseline will be collected, the major focus would be given on physical infrastructure and to socio-economic parameters/variables directly related to project objectives. Greater emphasis would be given to capture quality data and at the same time also ensuring coverage of desired sample size. Therefore, it would be ensured that qualified survey professionals are hired and adequately trained to administer the interview schedules. Field survey would be supervised by key professionals.
The aim of the assignment is to undertake a study on existing slums and informal settlements approximating 571 in some 63 towns of the State, and to cover all households dwelling in such settlements for household survey.
TARGET AREA AND TARGET GROUPS OF THE PROJECT
The target area of the project is limited to 63 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the State of Uttarakhand. Target groups of the project are households living in slum areas of the ULBs.
FUNDING AGENCY
The project is funded by Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development Investment Programme (UUSDIP), Urban Development Department, Government of Uttarakhand (Asian Development Bank assisted project).
COST OF THE PROJECT
The project is sanctioned by UUSDIP during the year 2010. Total cost of the project sanctioned by UUSDIP for six months is Rs. 77,66,666.00[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”953,954,955,956,957,958,959,960,961,962,963,964,965,966,967,968,969,970″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row]