Urban Villages And Digitalisation Of Land Records In Delhi: A Case Study Of Contradictions In Shahpur Jat

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.