Volume : 2, Issue : 12, December - 2013

Inadeqate Housing Facilities � A Voilation of Human Rights

Appu Rathod, Dr. B. M. Ratnakar

Abstract :

The human right to adequate housing is guaranteed in International law and in the Directive Principles of the Constitution of India. It has also been upheld by the Supreme Court, in various judgements, as an integral part of the right to life. Majority of the Indian population, in urban as well as rural areas, however, lives in extremely inadequate and insecure conditions. In the absence of affordable and low cost housing options, majority of the urban poor (around 60% in Mumbai and 50% in Delhi) are forced to live in overcrowded slums/informal settlements without legal security of tenure and access to basic services, including water and sanitation, and often at great risk to their health. The Supreme Court and the High Court of Delhi have played a very positive role through progressive interim orders protecting the rights of the homeless and calling for state action. While this has resulted in positive responses from a few state governments, the failure to implement these orders is widespread and India’s homeless population continues to rise and is excluded from most government schemes.