Declaration of slum areas

(1) Where the competent authority, upon report from any of its officers or otherwise, is satisfied that- (a) any area is or may become a source of danger to the health, safety or convenience of the residents of that area or of its neighbourhood, by reason of the area being low-lying, insanitary, squalid or otherwise; or (b) the buildings in any area, used or intended to be used for human habitation,- (i) are, in any respect, unfit for human habitation; or (ii) are, by reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement or design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of streets, lack of ventilation, light or sanitation facilities, or any combination of these factors, detrimental to safety, health or morals, it may, by notification in the Gazette, declare such area to be a slum area: Provided that before declaring any area to be a slum area the competent authority shall consult the Chief Town Planner or any officer of the Town Planning Department of the Government authorised by the Government in this behalf. (2) Every notification under sub-section (1) shall also be published by the competent authority in at least two newspapers having wide circulation in the area to which that notification relates. (3) In determining whether a building is unfit for human habitation for the purposes of this Act, regard shall be had to its condition in respect of the following matters, that is to say,- (a) repair; (b) stability; (c) freedom from damp; (d) natural light and air; (e) water-supply; (f) drainage and sanitary conveniences; (g) facilities for storage, preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water; and the building shall be deemed to be unfit as aforesaid, if and only if it is so far defective in one or more of the said matters that it is not reasonably suitable for occupation in that condition. (2) As soon as may be after the declaration of any area as a slum area under section 3, the competent authority shall— (a) prepare records for the slum area, comprising a plan of the slum area, and a register enumerating every building thereon with adequate particulars thereof; and (b) issue to the owner of every building in the slum area a registration card showing the particulars of the building concerned.