Flats to replace all slums in Bangalore

Flats to replace all slums in Bangalore

The Hindu

Private developers to build flats for slum dwellers

# Project to be completed by 2015, says Jayakumar
# Flats to be built on half the land occupied by slums
# Developers to get the other half for commercial purposes


Bangalore: In order to get rid of Bangalore's 450-odd slums, the Government's civic agencies will build flats for slum dwellers on the land where the slums are located. This will be undertaken as a joint venture with the help of private land developers.

Speaking to presspersons after discussing the matter with legislators from Bangalore, such as Dinesh Gundu Rao (Gandhinagar), Zameer Ahmed (Chamarajpet) and Nirmal Surana (Bharatinagar), Housing Minister D.T. Jayakumar made it clear that only those whose names were in the 2004 electoral rolls would be entitled to the flats. Those who came after the cut-off date would have to move to rehabilitation centres. They would be given alternative housing after all the slums were developed. The project would be completed by 2015, he said.

Mr. Jayakumar said each slum would have a cooperative society and the flats would come up on half the land occupied by each slum. Private developers would get the other half for commercial exploitation. The Government would not incur any expenditure on the project, he said.

Pilot projects would be launched in all the Assembly constituencies in Bangalore where at least one slum would be replaced with flats.

He said that most of the free sites and houses provided by the Government and its agencies such as the Bangalore Development Authority, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board and the Karnataka Housing Board had been garnered by those who came from outside the State. However, the Government had to be sympathetic to all poor people.

Meeting to be held

Mr. Jayakumar said he would convene a meeting of legislators, councillors and officials of all the government agencies concerned to convince them about the new concept. A workshop would also be organised for them. Once the programme was launched, nobody would be allowed to put up huts anywhere in the corporation limits, he said.