Delhi revives PPP slum revamp model; ‘magicians’ of Kathputli Colony still in transit
Residents of the former Kathputli Colony in Delhi remain in temporary housing over a decade after their displacement for a public-private partnership slum redevelopment project. While the government plans to revive this model, original residents continue to face delays in receiving promised permanent housing.
Why it matters
The story illustrates the challenges and failures of public-private partnerships in urban housing and the long-term impact on displaced vulnerable populations.
Lakshmi was born and raised in a family of performers in the now-razed Kathputli Colony in west Delhi’s Shadipur. She was 19 when her family moved from the ‘magicians’ ghetto’, as Salman Rushdie described the settlement in Midnight’s Children , into porta cabins set up on a hillock named Anand Parbat about 3 km away. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary.
The focus on the plight of displaced residents and the failure of private developers to meet deadlines highlights systemic social inequality.
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