Hovels and ghettos – this side of urban affluence narrative

While we are in the habit of gloating that ours is a welfare society built on the principles of wellbeing economics and rational social policies, we may do well by doing some sincere soul-searching. Indeed, a deep and critical self-analysis is necessary. That wanting, we may have grown a little too complacent already.

Bhutan has seen an impressively swift development over the past few decades, and by the look of it, the pace of development – otherwise called change – will only accelerate into some decades more to come. But, is it really the kind of change we stood up and pushed for? Could we not have done a little better? Certainly, we did not dream of creating just as many hovels and ghettos as we have our towns and cities.

In recent times, Thimphu has seen the growth of several slums and shanty towns. Some of them are, rather disturbingly, in the heart of the city. They are an eyesore. But they should also evoke shame in us.

Why do slums spring up at all? Apparently, that seems to be the question that escapes our planners and policy makers. Despite the ‘strong pro-poor’ development policies and interventions of the 10th plan, urban poverty continues to be a concern, serious one at that. It is no more just the lack of income for meeting basic food needs for a large number of people, but the lack of basic services, housing, and livelihood. Recurring income must exceed recurring expense. It is the affordability of the basic needs that is at the centre of it all.

Such a social order as ours would not qualify for a welfare society, would it? Vaunting, preening, and relishing upon our own successes with little introspection is a dangerous delusion. A perfectly unequal distribution of income is at best undesirable. A perfectly equal income distribution is impossible, but some sort of equality is possible. There need only be will, a strong political will.

What we have failed to realize is that with every salary raise of civil servants and corporate employee – which has become quite fashionably annual – certain groups of people are being pushed out, into the slums. It is only natural that they move into the hovels. We don’t have an affordable alternative for them.

The local area plans under the Thimphu structure plan doesn’t have a provision for housing for the lowest income families. Well, there is Changjiji! But Changjiji has been mostly hijacked.

Squatter settlements and slums cannot be just pulled down. As we have seen often, they will return, in numbers far larger than before when they do. Eviction of the slum residents is not the solution. It must be the one to embrace them because they have no affordable place to settle in.

By Jigme Wangchuk