Watch | Bengaluru’s slum quarters still lack basic facilities | Ground report

The Hindu visits Laggere, probably the biggest slum resettlement area in Bengaluru

A little off the western corridor of the Outer Ring Road (ORR), which runs along the perimeter of Bengaluru, less than a kilometre away from Laggere bridge, stand hundreds of identical buildings along kachcha roads in stark contrast to the other sights along the arterial road. In these buildings, commonly called “slum quarters”, live thousands of people who were previously staying in small sheds or tents.

The Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) has built over 16,000 houses on an expanse of 60 acres in this area. These housing units, each measuring roughly 300 sq. ft, are occupied by a variety of people such as construction labourers, domestic workers, garments unit workers, drivers, teachers, and their families. The average income of these families ranges between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 a month.

There are three floors above the ground floor in every building and each floor has four houses. Although these buildings were handed over to the dwellers a little over a decade ago, they appear significantly older. In many houses, the concrete has chipped away so much that the steel reinforcement of the pillars is visible. One cannot ignore the stench, the buzz of insects, and the sight and smell of sewage flowing along these quarters.

Residents spoke to The Hindu on the shabby conditions they are forced to live in, their struggle to get the possession certificates, transport and sewage woes, and more.

Read more: Basic amenities still a pipe dream for relocated slum-dwellers in Bengaluru

Reporting: Jahnavi TR

Videography and production: Ravichandran N.