Lok Sabha Question No. 2561 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-22
Subject: Urban Poor Living along Railway Tracks
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: S. Gnanathiraviam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2561

## TO BE ANSWERED ON DECEMBER 22, 2022 URBAN POOR LIVING ALONG RAILWAY TRACKS

## NO. 2561. SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S.:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  country  is  witness  to  substantial number of urban poor living along the railway tracks under illegal and risky conditions;
- (b) if so, the estimate of such population and the rise in such dwellers during the last five years, State-wise; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure that people are not forced to live along railway the tracks in cities?

## ANSWER

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE (SHRI KAUSHAL KISHORE)

- (a) :  As  per  the  information  received  from  the  Ministry  of  Railways (MoR), there has been existence of encroachment/illegal occupation on railway land which also includes people living along Railway Tracks.
- (b) : MoR  has  informed  that the details  of  encroachment  and population  living  along  railway  tracks  is  not  maintained  Statewise.  However,  the  zone-wise  details  of  Railway's  land  under encroachment during the last five years is at Annexure. There has been  no  rise  in  encroachment  on  railway  land  since  past  many years.
- (c) : As per the information provided by MoR, there is no provision of rehabilitation  in  the  Railway  Act  1989,  whose  section  147  only provides for eviction of unauthorised occupants of railway lands. 'Land' and 'Colonisation' are State subjects.  Schemes related to

housing,  slum  redevelopment/rehabilitation  including  urban  poor living  along  the  railway  tracks  are  implemented  by  States/Union Territories (UTs). However, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA),  under  the  vision  of  'Housing  for  All',  is  supplementing the  efforts  of  States/UTs  by  providing  Central  Assistance  under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) since 25.06.2015 for  construction  of  houses  for  all  eligible  beneficiaries  including people  living  in  slums  or  along  railway  tracks.  The  scheme  is implemented through four verticals i.e., Beneficiary Led Construction  (BLC),  Affordable  Housing  in  Partnership  (AHP),  InSitu Slum  Redevelopment  (ISSR)  and  Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme  (CLSS)  based  on  eligibility criteria as  per  scheme guidelines. PMAY-U addresses the issue of housing shortage from demand  side  as  well  as  supply  side  interventions  through  its different verticals.

As  on  31.03.2022,  122.69  lakh  houses  were  sanctioned  for  the eligible households including slum dwellers of urban areas with a Central Assistance of ₹2.03 lakh crore. Out of this, 65.5 lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.

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## Zone-wise details of Railway's land under encroachment/illegal occupation during the last five years

(Figures in Hectares)

| Zonal Railway      | Railway Land under encroachment as on   | Railway Land under encroachment as on   | Railway Land under encroachment as on   | Railway Land under encroachment as on   | Railway Land under encroachment as on   |
|--------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| Zonal Railway      | 31.03.18                                | 31.03.19                                | 31.03.20                                | 31.03.21                                | 31.03.22                                |
| Central            | 58.05                                   | 56.10                                   | 56.10                                   | 55.83                                   | 52.50                                   |
| Eastern            | 20.52                                   | 20.52                                   | 20.52                                   | 22.60                                   | 21.94                                   |
| East Central       | 1.99                                    | 1.71                                    | 1.52                                    | 1.37                                    | 1.35                                    |
| East Coast         | 14.21                                   | 13.95                                   | 13.89                                   | 13.15                                   | 13.04                                   |
| Northern           | 202.93                                  | 183.10                                  | 175.99                                  | 175.99                                  | 157.89                                  |
| North Central      | 40.94                                   | 41.49                                   | 41.44                                   | 41.44                                   | 40.98                                   |
| North Eastern      | 25.63                                   | 25.39                                   | 25.39                                   | 23.31                                   | 23.31                                   |
| Northeast Frontier | 98.50                                   | 95.00                                   | 93.93                                   | 93.86                                   | 93.19                                   |
| North Western      | 18.53                                   | 18.38                                   | 18.29                                   | 18.34                                   | 18.34                                   |
| Southern           | 58.69                                   | 55.41                                   | 54.79                                   | 55.15                                   | 55.15                                   |
| South Central      | 16.98                                   | 16.43                                   | 15.98                                   | 15.72                                   | 14.34                                   |
| South Eastern      | 147.82                                  | 141.75                                  | 141.16                                  | 140.93                                  | 140.60                                  |
| Southeast Central  | 43.57                                   | 43.57                                   | 42.99                                   | 41.58                                   | 41.41                                   |
| South Western      | 16.26                                   | 16.26                                   | 16.26                                   | 16.26                                   | 16.26                                   |
| Western            | 39.27                                   | 51.94                                   | 53.93                                   | 52.52                                   | 50.59                                   |
| West Central       | 34.75                                   | 34.73                                   | 36.65                                   | 36.56                                   | 36.23                                   |
| Production Units   | 5.74                                    | 5.73                                    | 5.72                                    | 5.7                                     | 5.69                                    |
| Total              | 844.38                                  | 821.46                                  | 814.55                                  | 810.31                                  | 782.81                                  |