Bombay Hotel : tenure insecurity and land conflicts in informal commercial subdivisions

Gujarati version available in IDRC Digital LibraryInformal commercial subdivisions tend to dominate urban peripheries in many Indian cities. The urban development and urban planning paradigm is often hostile or only selectively and intermittently tolerant of land and housing informalities that urban poor and low-Income groups are forced to resort to in order to provide their own shelter. Informality in land transactions often results in illegal bookings where builders sell a plot of land to multiple people who then use various sources of power to stake claim over the land. Residents lack political agency and live in a constant state of tenure uncertainty. Religious differences add to tensions