Better days ahead for dwellers of two slums in city

Better days ahead for dwellers of two slums in city

The Hindu

A Rs. 180-crore project has been sanctioned for their relocation

# Centre to fund Rs. 90 cr.; State Government too will chip in
# Slum dwellers to bear about 50 per cent of the cost of houses

Bangalore: Gajalakshmi from Lakshman Rau Nagar slum laments that her children fall ill often. She blames the overflowing sewer line that runs in front of her house. Sayeeda, her neighbour, complains that the ration shop does not sell kerosene needed to light her house.

But now they, along with people in 28 other slums in the city, have more government promises to look forward to. This time, it is the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board (KSCB), which is promising basic amenities, including water supply and electricity.

Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the KSCB, in the next two years, will build 11,603 houses for about 59,000 people at a cost of Rs. 189 crore, official sources said on Wednesday. The Centre cleared the KSCB proposal recently and will release Rs. 90 crore within the next two weeks. Facilities such as water supply, electricity, roads and infrastructure will be upgraded in 11 slums in the city. Dwellers of the remaining 18 slums, including Ragigudda and Padarayanapura, will be relocated to Singapura, Kudlu and Sadaramangala.

Each house will be built at a cost of Rs. 1.25 lakh and the total cost would be Rs. 145 crore.

The Centre will give Rs. 62,500, the State Government Rs. 16,000 while the rest will be financed by slum dwellers.

Water supply and underground drainage system to the 29 slums will be provided at a cost of Rs. 9 crore, electricity provided at Rs. 2 crore, roads will be built at a cost of Rs. 9.44 crore, storm water drains and culverts constructed at a cost of Rs. 11 crore. Community halls and toilets to be built at a cost of Rs. 2.83 crore will have to be managed by associations formed by the slum dwellers.

Since JNNURM places emphasis on community participation, the KSCB is spending Rs. 4.5 crore on awareness programmes on health care and hygiene. Short films on these subjects will also be screened at selected places in the slums.