Indian Express 25.10.2010
A year after getting flats, dwellers make illegal changes in design
Khushboo Sandhu Tags : rehabilitation scheme, Bapu Dham Posted: Mon Oct 25 2010, 00:43 hrs
Under its rehabilitation scheme, the UT Administration had allotted one-room flats to residents from notified slum colonies.
A visitto these one room flats in Sector 38 (W) shows that residents have started making modifications. While some residents have made temporary partitions in the one room that was allotted, others are making permanent structures within these rooms. In many houses, residents have made kitchens too.
One of the residents, Suresh says, “I stay here along with my husband and three daughters. While the condition is far better here than the colony where we used to live, having just one room was a problem. So we are getting some construction done in order to have a partition between the kitchen and the room. Certain modifications were required in order to make living here more comfortable.”
This is the case with many of the flats in the area where modifications are being made.
Under the slum rehabilitation scheme, a total of 25,728 one room flats were to be built. The aim was to provide accommodation to those residing in the slums in the city. These residents pay Rs 800 a month as rent and the charges for electricity and water.
The houses that had been allotted under previous schemes have also over the years seen numerous changes being made.
In the early 80s, houses had been allotted in Bapu Dham, Dadumajra and Ramdarbar. Single storey houses had been approved and the Administration had given Rs 3,000 as loan to the beneficiaries for construction of houses.
These single storey houses have over the years become double or triple storeyed. The construction has now been given approval by the Administration.
Former mayor and councillor Kamlesh says, “The beneficiaries in the 80s were those who were already paying rent to the Administration. This is not the case now when those being rehabilitated are those who are staying in colonies free of cost. It is justified for people to construct additional floors as over the years the family size has increased. The Administration should keep in mind the needs in the coming years. Otherwise the problem of slums would not see an end.”
