The Hindu 29.05.2013
Elicit views zone-wise on CDP, GVMC told
Training programme on RAY and draft AP Slum Dwellers Property Rights Act 2012 held
The proposals made in the draft of the revised City
Development Plan (CDP) should be discussed at zone or sub-zone-wise
meetings taking people into confidence, member of the Prime Minister’s
Monitoring Committee on JNNURM R.V. Rama Rao has said.
Addressing
a one-day training programme on Rajiv Awas Yojana and draft AP Slum
Dwellers Property Rights Act 2012 organised by the Campaign for Housing
and Tenurial Rights (CHATRI), he said the-more-than-Rs.6,000-crore
proposals made in the plan should not be taken up without the approval
of the public. The CDP finally becomes part of the Master Plan.
Since
the plan included urban housing for the poor, at the zone-wise meetings
the location of slums and government lands should be made public and
within the zone the urban poor should be readjusted instead of
relocating them hitting their livelihood, he suggested. He cited the
examples in Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune where only readjustment was done
avoiding relocation. In the JNNURM too the lands that should be vacated
have been prioritised. Also when if a slum was cleared from government
land if it was used for commercial purpose those vacated were entitled
20 to 25 per cent of the floor space. Relief and Rehabilitation rules
applicable to project should be applicable when slums were relocated, he
said.
Prof. Rama Rao said not only housing but other
proposals should be discussed so that funds available were spent on
useful projects. The government land, rights on which would be
transferred to the municipality, should not be used for commercial
purposes, he suggested.
While tenurial rights were
being given for individual houses, whether the same would be made
applicable to apartments was not clear, he said. He suggested that a
land bank be formed with the land earmarked to the poor in private
layouts and it should be used for housing from time to time.
City
convenor of CHATRI Pragada Vasu alleged that 12 slums had been sent to
the technical committee on RAY under a pilot project but the views of
people on whether they accepted the G+3 pattern were not taken. An urban
local body-level committee should be formed with those concerned but it
was not done. He demanded that GO Rt No.136 that laid down only
construction of apartments give way to the Property Rights Act which
should be duly modified, incorporating the RAY guidelines issued by the
Central Government.
