Title deeds for slum dwellers soon: Govt

Title deeds for slum dwellers soon: Govt
DH News Service,Bangalore:
The State Government, on Friday, announced that over a lakh families residing in 400 odd slums in the City would get title deeds/registration certificates for alternative housing facilities in a months time.

Addressing presspersons here, Minister for Transport R Ashok, who is also the Bangalore District In-charge Minister, said a decision has been taken to provide accommodation to the economically backward who have been residing in slums, which constitute government land for the past 40 years.
“We have held a meeting with officials of all the civic bodies under the Urban Development Department (UDD) to provide registration certificates to those in slums within one month. In phase one, we will concentrate on those residing in government lands. Only genuine applicants who have been residing in the slums for the last 40 years would be accorded priority. The BDA alone has 6,000 applications pending, the BBMP has 15,000 and the Slum Clearance Board has 2,000,” Ashok said.
The government has reverted to the old fee of Rs 100 for applying title deeds, from the present Rs 1,000, as it was found to be unaffordable for slum dwellers.
“All applicants will get land of the same measurement they are presently residing in. Priority would be given to tenants and those residing on the land and not in whose name the house is registered” the Minister added.
As many as 20,000 applicants would benefit from the scheme, with a majority of them residing in the 400 odd slums in BBMP limits. Out of these, 150 are under the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board, 60 under the Bangalore Development Authority and the rest under the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, informed government sources. Under the scheme, SC/ST’s would be given free title deeds. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is expected to distribute the registration certificates.
In phase two, slums on private land would also be considered, by offering TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) said Ashok who added, “Those slums that have come up on lake-beds and graveyards will also be considered later. At present those notified from the Slum Board will be taken up”.

Interest waived off

Ashok further said that the government has decided to waive off interest amounting to Rs 12 crore due to BWSSB on account of water bills of the slums. “Each house owes Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000”, he revealed.


SPECIAL DRIVE

Bangalore Development Authority has taken up a special drive to issue sale deed/ possession certificate to slum dwellers, residing in 54 slums coming under areas of its jurisdiction.
Slum dwellers under BDA are requested to submit all the documents to the office of deputy secretaries concerned in the head office of BDA on all working days between 3 pm and 5.30 pm.