‘Waste’ to ‘use’? Making of ‘Narela’ in periphery of Delhi metropolis

Abstract

This paper studies the process of urban development and expansion by using a theoretical lens of conceptualisation of waste. Applying from the literature on the political economy of land as a resource, urban planning and labour geography, I analyse the ways in which transformation of the value of land from ‘waste’ to ‘use’ or vice versa; as conceived by state agencies and planners; have implications on human lives, particularly working-class. The paper deals with the qualitative question(s) of how the planning policies transform urban landscapes by imagining the potential of space and in turn marginalises people, hence creating a huge pool of labour reserve to achieve greater surplus accumulation. In such conditions, I show that how this marginalised section, particularly working class, built their living environment. The research further reflects upon the labouring practices in the peripheral town of Delhi metropolis, which is largely built by gentrification of labour from the core of the city. The exploratory study is ethnographically inspired and deploys qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and Focussed Group Discussions to capture nuances of the field.