Community Based Organization and Social Change a Study of Selected Slums in Delhi

Abstract

Efforts aimed at urban poverty reduction and service delivery improvement depend newlinecritically on slum dwellers collective agency. This study investigates the role and impact newlineof the Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in the slums of East Delhi. In the newlinedevelopment of slums, the role of CBOs are often overlooked and undermined due to newlinetheir informal social identity, flexibility in operations. These CBOs are key agents in newlinesocial change but often they are considered to be non productive and often questioned for newlineaccountability. This qualitative study made strong efforts to highlight and discuss the newlinerole, impact, challenges and aspiration of CBOs in slums. This study was carried out in newlinefour slum areas in east Delhi viz. Dilshad Garden (NSAC cluster), Seemapuri (ASRA newlineCluster), Khajuri Basti ( Sri Ram Colony ) and Harijan Basti (Mullah Colony ) has made newlinean attempt to explain various roles and impact of these CBOs in improvising slum newlinecommunity. The study critically examines various roles of CBOs and factors enabling newlinethem to perform. The study finds that collective action taken by CBOs significantly newlinehelped slum residents to improve government provided facilities and accessing various newlineentitlements. The CBOs displayed their abilities in solving community problems, both newlineshort term and long term. There is a close relation between CBOs performance and social newlinedevelopment. Thus, the study argues that these CBOs are very essential in local newlinedevelopment and are indispensable elements in bringing social change in the slums. newline