The Hindu 30.06.2010
Slum dwellers get aid to construct houses
Staff Reporter
| Mayor hands over cheques to 179 beneficiaries |
— Photo: A. Shaikmohideen 
For Better facilities:Mayor A. L. Subramanian handing over assistance to a beneficiary in Tirunelveli on Tuesday.
TIRUNELVELI: Mayor A.L. Subramanian on Tuesday handed over assistance worth Rs. 33.81 lakh to 179 slum dwellers to construct permanent houses under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP).
The Tirunelveli Corporation in December 2007 resolved to forward an expansive proposal for Rs.19.99 crore to the Union Government to ensure holistic development of 69 slums under its jurisdiction by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities.
Through cluster approach, the IHSDP aims at combining the Central schemes of Valmiki – Ambedkar Andhyodaya Yojana and National Slum Development Project to make better shelter and basic amenities accessible to the urban slum-dwellers living in dilapidated conditions.
The components for assistance under this scheme would include all slum improvement, upgradation, relocation programmes including upgradation, construction of houses and creation of infrastructural facilities such as water supply, roads, streetlights, solid waste management, toilets and underground drainage.
Plan
According to the plan submitted by the Corporation, nearly 200 houses in the slums located at Thatchanallur, Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai and Melapalayam Zones, would be upgraded at a cost of over Rs.80 lakh (Rs.40,000 for each house) while 104 new houses would be constructed for slum-dwellers on an outlay of Rs.83.20 lakh (Rs.80,000 for each house).
While SC/ST/BC/OBC/Physically Handicapped beneficiaries and other weaker sections would have to give their contribution of 10 per cent, others would be required to give 12 per cent.
To improve supply of protected drinking water to these areas, the civic body had sought Rs.28.50 lakh for laying the distribution pipelines for a stretch of 33.45 km and Rs.55 lakh for the construction of 26 overhead tanks (13 in Thatchanallur, 1 in Palayamkottai, 2 in Melapalayam and 10 in Tirunelveli Zones).
Two community toilets – one each at Palayamkottai and Tirunelveli – would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.10 lakh.
A total of 165 streetlights would be provided on an outlay of Rs.26.05 lakh.
Since roads traversing the slums within the Corporation limits are in a bad shape, the urban body had sought an allocation of Rs.2.70 crore for relaying roads for a distance of 23.65 km.
A total of 170 garbage bins and tricycles would be procured at a cost of Rs.43.10 lakh to strengthen the solid waste management programme of the Corporation.
For establishing storm water drain for 25.71 km, the Corporation requires Rs.3.21 crore and another Rs.13 lakh would be earmarked for creation of new parks in the slums.
Disbursal begins
As the Centre had endorsed Tirunelveli Corporation's proposal, disbursal of assistance to the beneficiaries under IHSDP had commenced.
When Mr. Subramanian handed over the cheques, 179 beneficiaries – 81 from Thatchanallur, 43 from Palayamkottai, six from Melapalayam and 49 from Tirunelveli – received the assistance in the presence of Commissioner N. Subbaiyan, Executive Engineer V. Narayanan Nair and councillors.
