33% of Delhi lives in rented houses, govt’s survey finds

Since most of those who said they own the property were living in the pockets where a majority of resettlement colonies are located, experts said the data reflects the increasing presence of informal settlements in the form of unauthorised colonies and slums in the national Capital.

A socio-economic survey conducted by the Delhi government has found that 66.63% households in the city own their homes, while 32.38% live in rented accommodations.

The survey, carried out between November 2018 and 2019, covered 20.05 lakh households and 1.02 crore population. Delhi’s actual population as per the state’s planning department is over 2 crore. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

However, since most of those who said they own the property were living in the pockets where a majority of resettlement colonies are located, experts said the data reflects the increasing presence of informal settlements in the form of unauthorised colonies and slums in the national Capital.

The survey, carried out between November 2018 and 2019, covered 20.05 lakh households and 1.02 crore population. Delhi’s actual population as per the state’s planning department is over 2 crore.

The survey report showed that house ownership was highest in areas under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), which is the most cash-strapped civic body in the city, and where several unauthorised colonies are located. While 62.70% of the households surveyed in the New Delhi Municipal Council’s area were found to be living in rented accommodations.

Debolina Kundu, professor at the national institute of urban affairs (NIUA) and member of the 5th Delhi finance commission, pointed out that if one analyses district-wise data, the Shahdara district has the maximum households living in their own properties (76.37%), followed by the Central district (72.36%). Only 44.73% of the households surveyed in the New Delhi district had their own houses. Delhi has 11 districts.

Kundu further said the NDMC has the largest share of those living on rent because of the exorbitant property prices in the area, which is also a hub for various private and government offices.

“This report could provide important inputs to prepare the Master Plan of Delhi 2041,” she said.

Of the 20.05 lakh households surveyed, 51.78% owned motorised vehicles for personal use. The number of households who possess only two-wheelers in Delhi was 40.35%, whereas 4.34% households possessed only four-wheelers and 6.59% owned both two and four wheelers. Only 0.50% had ‘other motorised vehicles’ for personal use.

Households in the average monthly expenditure group of ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 owned the highest number of two-wheelers only, whereas, households in the group of more than ₹50,000 had the maximum number of four wheelers for personal use, the report stated.

The report also shows that 22.22% households have air-conditioners and 21.27% have a computer. Of the households that had a computer or a laptop, 80.15% were using an internet connection.

It also revealed that 93.83% of households surveyed in Delhi have mobile phones.

A senior government official said these trends corroborate the fact that over 85% of Delhi’s population belong to the low-income group and lower mixed incomer group categories.

The study stated that 40.78% of the surveyed households had ration cards issued by the food and civil supplies department. Of these, 85.98% were getting ration from the public distribution system.

It also said that 70.98% households get tap water, while 5.82% did not have it. “These figures are close to the 2011 Census and illustrates that access to tap water has not improved much and the government needs to invest in water provision. This report will help in various policy interventions,” the official said.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who had commissioned this survey in 2018 did not respond to calls and text messages for a comment.