Abstract:
This research aims at understanding the systemic changes in the dominant ideas of
property and social relations by exploring the impact of urbanisation in urban
villages of Delhi. Urban villages have historically been excluded from planning
processes and have not been awarded tenure or property rights in Delhi. This had led
to a rise in contradictions inside the village as well as in between the village and the
city. The author aims at understanding these contradictionsthrough thisstudy. Along
with that, the study also aims at understanding how can technological intervention
in this case, Digitalisation of India Land Records Modernisation Programme by the
state and e-Governance be used as a policy window of opportunity (Kingdon 1995)
to aid in regularising and formalising urban villages as part of the city space. This
would be done by understanding Shahpur Jat village based on five thematic
contradictions outlined by the author; urban and rural, village and city, community
and cosmopolitan, public and private space and migrants and locals using three
indicators i.e. spatial, cultural and transactional. The data will be collected using
qualitative research methodology. The research proposes that while technology
provides a new set of responsibilities and opportunities for the government, it also
needs to be cognisant of the structure of urban villages in terms of spatial, cultural
and transactional aspects to comprehend the extent of benefits they can reap for the
city and the citizen.
