RUA 2025-(wl-8696)-Defending Land Rights Amidst Urban Development: Insights from Rajiv Awas Yojana in Visakhapatnam

Amidst multiple resettlement attempts, driven by increased private investment and rising land values, residents of a slum in Visakhapatnam have successfully defended their rights to their houses and the land they have occupied for the past three decades. The residents employed multifaceted strategies to engage with bureaucratised local state during the absence of an elected local government for almost a decade (2012-2021). Several factors converged to create a more transparent, participatory and pro-poor slum rehabilitation programme in a city otherwise known for its hostile resettlement practices towards the poor. Collective bargaining by the heterogeneous community, united under the banner of the Residential Welfare Association, was supported by the local leaders of the ruling political party due to clientelistic ties. Instrumental efforts by an activist NGO helped residents understand regulations and struggle for their rights. The influential roles of certain top-level bureaucrats, arising from their personal qualities also contributed to an alternative slum rehabilitation experiment in the city.