Urban News

The Hindu     25.10.2010

World Bank to aid housing scheme for poor

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The World Bank has asked the Rajasthan Government to prepare proposals seeking financial assistance for 15 affordable housing schemes to be launched shortly in seven towns of the State. The scheme is expected to help out low-income families and financially weaker sections in getting their own houses.

A four-member team of the World Bank and the National Housing Bank met the State Principal Urban Development and Housing Secretary, G. S. Sandhu, here over the week-end to discuss the scope for providing finance for housing schemes.

According to an official release here, Mr. Sandhu told the visiting team that the World Bank's assistance would speed up implementation of schemes in the housing sector. The affordable housing schemes are to be launched in Jaipur, Udaipur, Bhiwadi, Ajmer, Kuchanman, Chaksu and Dausa.

The team members pointed out that the World Bank had a provision for financing the rental housing schemes as well and suggested that new schemes could be formulated in this “unexplored area”.

Jaipur Development Authority Secretary Shuchi Sharma apprised the team members of the schemes being executed for rehabilitation of slum dwellers and economically weaker sections. The team later visited JDA's Paldi Meena rehabilitation scheme on the outskirts of the State Capital.

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.”