The National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) in India was established by

Jockin Arputham Jockin Arputham (15 August 1947 – 13 October 2018) was an Indian community leader and activist, known for his campaigning work of more than 40 years on issues related to slums and shanty towns. He was born in Karnataka, India and moved to M ...

when he fought on behalf of a community of 70,000 to appeal a 1976 eviction order. It is a national organization which brings together multiple communities and their leaders who live in slum settlements around India. NSDF along with

Mahila Milan Mahila Milan (Hindi: 'women together') is a self-organised, decentralised collective of female pavement dwellers in Bombay. The group works with issues such as housing, sanitation, and grassroots lending schemes. It aims at gaining women equal re ...

are one of the oldest members of the

Urban Poor Fund International Network Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

. Due to the efforts of NSDF, around 90 buildings and 300 toilet blocks have been constructed in Mumbai, providing houses and sanitation to over 35,000 families. Additionally, around 100 toilet blocks have been constructed in Pune. In the 1980s, NSDF formed an alliance with

an
SPARC
and this alliance became the basis for establishing

Slum Dwellers International Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI), is a global social movement of the urban poor that started in 1996. It forms a network of community-based organisations in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The S ...

in 1996.SDI Jockin Arputham
Habitjam.com In 1999, National Slum Dwellers Federation won the

UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award was created by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) in 1989 to encourage and recognize the countries, governments, organizations, and individuals who have made great contributions to the dev ...

Background

The National Slum Dwellers Federation was started after the demolition of the Janata Colony in Mumbai. It was one of the largest slums in Mumbai and had mostly a South Indian population. In 1967, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre gave an eviction notice to all residents to vacate the land. Jockin Arputham, who was 18 years old then, was also a resident. To contest the eviction, the residents had to prove that they were permanent residents and have the right to live there. This colony was formed in 1947 and the rent was anywhere between 50 Indian Paise to 2 Indian Rupees. The documentation proved that this was a permanent settlement and a legal settlement thus the residents were not illegally staying there. By 1970, Jockin was travelling all around Mumbai and India to meet other slum leaders and dwellers to help fight the eviction order. All the activists involved worked to make sure that eviction notices could not be served. However, when the eviction notices were finally ordered, the activists went to the district court and won. The Atomic Energy Commission took it to the High Court and won. Finally, the case was taken to the Supreme Court and the activists won. However, then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

was personally interested in that land and one

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judge, while speaking to Jockin, mentioned how it is too late to stop the eviction due to the Prime Minister. After a long while, a meeting was conducted with Indira Gandhi and a conclusion was reached that there will be no demolition of the slums without the consultation of the slum dwellers and their leaders. Yet, due to the National Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, fresh eviction orders were given and an arrest warrant for the slum leaders was also issued. A huge demolition took place and all 70,000 people were moved to Cheetah camp. In 1975, the NSDF was formed and multiple slums around India followed this example and formed their own committees.

References

{{Indian non-profit Urban planning in India Slums in India 1975 establishments in Maharashtra Organizations established in 1975