District officials said that in the upcoming housing scheme for the poor in Unnikunta and Phoolbagh, leaders of various political parties are applying pressure on them to illegally allocate one extra house to each of their henchmen living in the respective localities.

The government has decided to construct pucca houses for the slumdwellers in Unnikunta and Phoolbagh under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) considering the abysmal living conditions in the two localities. It sanctioned 496 and 608 houses respectively in Unnikunta and Phoolbagh.

“On behalf of some residents, a few local leaders tried to influence us to allocate more than one house. But we plainly rejected such proposals,’’ sources in the Hyderabad Collectorate told Expresso.

Meanwhile, officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the Hyderabad Collectorate, a few days ago, held discussions with the residents to get them vacate their houses at the earliest so that construction can begin.

Many, however, were reluctant to move out as they were not shown alternative dwellings. Some expressed their desire to continue in the same houses, though they are in a dilapidated state.

“Most of the residents in Unnikunta agreed to vacate their houses while it is exactly the opposite case in Phoolbagh.

However, we will shift out all the residents and won’t hesitate to use force, if the situation warrants,’’ sources said.

It may be noted that such forcible vacation of residents of Bhim Rao Bada by officials sometime back came under severe criticism from all sections.

Another interesting issue is the request by some residents that they be allocated houses based on the sizes of their existing encroached plots. “There is no uniformity in plot sizes in both the slums since the residents encroached the plots depending on their capacity to grab. Irrespective of their existing plot sizes, all the beneficiaries will get houses of equal area,’’ Hyderabad District Collector Navin Mittal said.

Officials are planning to complete the eviction within a month and take up construction.