Negotiating the urban margins: ‘committees’ and in situ slum titling in Odisha’s Basti settlements

This study explores how marginalized groups in India’s urban informal settlements assert agency over land rights and services despite exclusion from state-led land governance processes. Focusing on community-led committees in Odisha, India, it examines how these groups negotiate with local authorities to resist demolition, secure rehabilitation, and access essential services, even when sidelined by state-led participatory programmes. Using an associational politics framework, the paper highlights three key strategies employed by the poor groups in the settlements. Firstly, the committees build cross-political alliances among various groups to organize protests and rallies, amplifying their demands within constrained local contexts. Secondly, the committees establish legitimacy as negotiators by submitting memorandums and documentation to local authorities. Finally, they leverage legal avenues, using court challenges and administrative delays to press for inclusion in land titling. By analysing Odisha’s JAGA Mission, which often prioritizes state-backed representative bodies over grassroots committees, this study unravels the tensions between formal and informal governance in urban India. These findings illuminate how community-driven efforts reshape urban land governance, offering insights into the resilience of marginalized groups across South Asia’s rapidly urbanizing cities. The paper contributes to broader debates on participatory urban development, informality, and community agency in South Asian studies.