Bid to phase out slums

JAIPUR: The JMC and the JDA have bagged another sanction of Rs 180 crore for the facelift of slums. The sanction has been allotted to create hygienic living conditions for the slums under the JNNURM funded scheme Basic Services to Urban Poor.
Rajkumar Sharma, superintending engineer, JDA told TOI that after the completion of the project, 11,000 registered houses will be allocated to slum-dwellers.The two-storied two-BHK houses will have proper sanitary sytems. "The city will also try to phase out kachchi bastis," added Sharma.
At least 17 slums under the JMC and 14 from the JDA will be allotted the new houses. Land for the project has been identified in areas like Anand Lok, Swapan Lok, Jaisighpurawas, and in Jaisinghpura Khor. The houses will be constructed without hampering the current template of these areas. Senior officials of the civic bodies said proper infrasturctural facilities will be built around these areas to protect the livelihood of the dwellers.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to rehabilitate a major chunk of slum-dwellers, multi-storied residential complexes will come up soon with facilities like drinking water, solid waste management, community halls, healthcare centres and schools. Slum-dwellers will have to shell out only 10% of the cost of construction. "Each family will get a house and land worth Rs 5 lakhs for just Rs 25000" said an official from JMC.
The JMC is also working on another 12,000 houses for slum-dwellers near Shastri Nagar. However, the project is awaiting clearance. The land for the project (Rs 169.43 crore) is caught in an ownership wrangle with the forest department. However, the government is hopeful of getting a clearance and the authorities plan to complete the project in a year's time.