Work begins on slum-free zone

Work begins on slum-free zone
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd (NICE) has begun work on India’s first ever ‘slum-free zone’ in Sompura village in Karnataka. This Rs.300-crore initiative, funded by NICE, will cover 149 villages in Karnataka and is an integral part of the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMIC).

The first village to be rehabilitated under this project is Sompura which is 200 m away from Banashankari VI Stage, Bangalore. NICE is providing all the 26 families in Sompura with independent houses alongwith a compound wall, in the same locality. This is to be completed in six months. In addition, NICE will provide all necessary infrastructure like electricity, water, underground and surface drainage systems, roads and cable TV connectivity.

Houses which will be built in three types –– covering 750 sq ft (Rs.5 lakh) 1,500 sq ft (Rs.7 lakh) and 2,000 sq ft (Rs 12 lakh). A school building is coming up and will be run by the Swami of Tumkur Mutt. A park and a clinic cum healthcare centre are also in the pipeline.

Speaking to this website’s newspaper, Ashok Kheny, MD of NICE, said ‘‘there is nothing more inhuman on earth than allowing a child to grow up in a slum.

With this slum-free zone initiative, we will not allow the creation of slums in the first place. We sincerely believe in leading by example and I hope this model will be replicated by State-run agencies like BDA, MUDA and HUDA in future.’’