As the cities expand, they inevitably envelope nearby villages into their growing footprints. Existing within this landscape of modern cities are the pockets of tradition known as urban villages. These settlements were originally under the jurisdiction of village panchayats, but with the onset of urban development, they were brought under the administration of Municipal Corporations. Also called as shehri gaon, these areas are often characterized by unplanned infrastructure, densely packed multi-dwelling residential buildings, and irregular construction patterns. This has led to persistent issues of unsegregated waste disposal, drain blockages, and increased health hazards.

The population here largely consists of migrants, low-income communities, and tenants, with no presence of resident welfare associations or development committees. Despite the governance vacuum, urban villages serve as crucial entry points and support systems for migrants seeking livelihoods in the city. Offering affordable living spaces, employment opportunities, and social connections, urban villages have long supported migrant communities. However, they themselves have remained neglected and lag behind in terms of development. Gurugram, for instance, has around 40 such urban villages^[1], which play a crucial role not just socially and economically, but also as major contributors to the city’s municipal solid waste stream. Despite this, they remain largely unrecognized in city-level planning and governance structures.

Saahas, an NGO working towards developing and implementing sustainable solid waste management (SWM) system started their intervention in Sikanderpur Ghosi in the year 2021. Over four years of intensive on-ground work in Sikanderpur Ghosi and one year in Nathupur, the organization focused on building decentralized waste systems, driving behaviour change, and cultivating collaboration among all stakeholders. These efforts led to improvement in streamlining the collection process, segregation at source, diversion of dry waste for recycling, and channeling wet waste to cow sheds and composting units.

But still the challenges prevail, and to draw recognition to the issue of waste and fostering collaboration among all actors involved, Saahas- organized a conclave in the last week of March 2025 with more than 65 participants at Club Patio, Gurugram.

The ‘Shehri Gaon ki Chaupal pe Bol Chaal’ was envisioned as a space for dialogue and discussion amongst community members from urban villages of Sikanderpur Ghosi and Nathupur, waste workers, concessionaires, ward councillors and representative from three wards, and officials of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram(MCG), along with the SWM implementation team of Saahas. The conclave marked the first time all stakeholders came together in one room to reflect on their shared challenges and responsibilities.

Ms. Hrishita Gupta from Saahas, who is leading the SWM projects in urban villages for the past 4 years, spoke about urban villages,

“There are no assigned administrative bodies to represent the dialogue of the urban villages. Even if these settlements are facing concerns, they have deeper social connections and cultural legacy that must not disappear. Their tranquility lies in its ability to offer shelter with a sense of rootedness in the complexity of urban life.”

As the conversation about the waste and waste system unfolded with a yarn ball exercise, each stakeholder was connected with a thread, visually mapping their roles in the waste chain. It highlighted their interdependence and reinforced that effective SWM relies on coordination and clarity at every stage.

Community members voiced their concerns with conviction, Mr. Yogesh, a resident of Sikanderpur Ghosi highlighted,

“While Saahas successfully brought behavioural change amongst residents, leading to active participation in waste segregation, the absence of a designated end destination remains a major hurdle. Even when a secondary collection point was allocated by the MCG and constructed by Saahas, subletting rendered it non-operational. The issues arising from subletting by one of the concessionaires require urgent attention and resolution by the MCG.”

The discussions highlighted several challenges currently affecting the SWM system in urban villages. While progress is being made in waste segregation, the community suggested including waste-related clauses in rent agreements to improve tenant compliance, as they represent the majority of residents. The community emphasized the need for more stringent enforcement by the MCG to improve the overall system.

While a significant barrier is the absence of secondary collection points for waste handling and rejects in urban villages, the critical role of informal waste workers is often overlooked.  These individuals are essential in the waste management ecosystem, especially when it comes to collecting segregated waste. In urban villages, where narrow lanes and infrastructural limitations prevent formal waste collection vehicles from accessing every area, informal waste workers step in to bridge the gap. However, subletting by the appointed concessionaire has led to inconsistent service delivery in Sikanderpur Ghosi.

Ward Councilors and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) team along with MCG officials present acknowledged these concerns and stressed the importance of shared responsibility. Mr. Anil Yadav, the representative of Ward no. 24 remarked,

“Whether it is Municipal Corporation, the concessionaire, the Ward Councillor or the community-everyone shall own their responsibility. Waste management is not the job of a single entity; it is a collective mission.”

While formal residential societies like RWAs receive attention and resources, urban villages are left to manage on their own. Such events remind us that urban inclusion means recognizing all parts of the city – not just the polished, planned colonies but also the dense, vibrant and deeply rooted urban villages that keep the city running.

During the conclave, as stakeholders engaged in direct conversations, several key issues came to the forefront. Community members and the Ward Councillor representative emphasized the urgent need for the establishment and active operations of secondary collection points. In response, representatives from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) noted that they would escalate the matter to their senior officials, particularly concerning potential changes in tender provisions related to concessionaires and land allocation.

The conclave marked not just a moment of dialogue, but a collective commitment to action—setting in motion a collaborative effort to transform solid waste management by centering the voices and needs of urban villages across India and the sector, making the city’s development more inclusive.

^{[1] The Tribune. (2019, March). The other Gurugram: Forgotten villages. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/haryana-tribune/the-other-gurugram-forgotten-villages-736941/}