Socio-economic Status of slum people of the municipalities of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal.

Abstract

The growth and development of slums in the urban area is one of the important issues for the urban local bodies (ULB’s). Almost one billion people live in slums worldwide, which is more typically overcrowded, polluted, and lack of basic amenities. The work attempts to assess the Socio-economic Status both qualitatively and quantitatively. Primary and secondary data were used to fulfill the objectives. The collected data have been analyzed and GIS techniques have been used for cartographic presentation. The study is concentrated on all slum pockets among the municipalities of Purba Medinipur (Haldia, Egra, Contai Panskura and Tamralipta(Tamluk) of West Bengal. The Weightage value, composite index, standard deviation and 3-point Likert scale have been used to determine the Socioeconomic status of slum dwellers. This study used firstly variables under 3 major dimensions as Demographic profile, Economic Status and Housing and Amenities. Secondly, 9 variables such as Family Size(X1), Education level(X2), Occupational pattern(X3), Monthly income(X4), Types of House(X5), Average no. of room(X6), Road types(X7), Drinking water (X8), and Sanitation(X9) have been chosen to find out the developmental Status of the municipalities in terms of their present pattern. Owing to bad hygienic conditions and the Economic Status of the slums of the municipalities of Purba Medinipur, they are not satisfactory. According to the findings of the primary survey, the majority of Slum Households in Egra municipality are Lacking in Housing Conditions, Infrastructure and Amenities. Slums socioeconomic Status is good in Pankura and Tamralipta (Tamluk) Municipality among the five Municipalities of Purba Medinipur. Finally, some suggestions were given for inclusive development and improving slums socio-economic status.