The Hindu 15.07.2009
Potential beneficiaries may be left out of BSUP
Sangeetha Unnithan
| Corporation all set to kick-start project in coastal areas |
Intended to benefit 5,500 families in 14 coastal wards
Ownership of land mandatory for getting aid
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the city Corporation is all set to kick-start the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) project in the coastal areas of the city under the third phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), project officials are concerned that a large section of potential beneficiaries will be left out from the scheme for not having land ownership records.
The BSUP project is aimed at benefiting 5,500 families from 14 coastal wards in the district.
They will be provided financial assistance up to Rs.1.15 lakh for constructing houses. The financial assistance will be given in four instalments after the beneficiaries remit an initial amount of Rs.14,500.
However, according to project guidelines only beneficiaries who possess land of their own will be provided financial assistance under the scheme.
Although the civic body has received around 4,300 applications for the project, Corporation officials say the figure may fall further during scrutiny of land ownership records, as most of them do not possess these records. Work on the project is expected to begin by month end.
“The number of applicants is generally much higher that the total number of beneficiaries in such schemes. However, in this case we have received only around 4,300 applications. Among these, there are many applicants who do not have any property in their name,” says Corporation welfare standing committee chairman S.A. Sundar.
“Many of these families have simply come and settled here years back and most of their land now falls under the Coastal Regulatory Zone. So they may not have any valid ownership documents or title deeds. Our reading is that there will be only less than 3,500 beneficiaries in the final list for the BSUP project,” he says.
Meanwhile, councillors representing coastal wards have urged the Corporation to request to the State government to provide possession certificates to those who do not possess land records. The Matsyafed housing scheme for landless fisherfolk was implemented in this manner. Under the scheme, assistance up to Rs.75,000 will be given if the beneficiary has a possession certificate from the village officer. However, since the financial assistance is much low compared to other housing schemes, very few beneficiaries are opting for the scheme.
“The EMS housing scheme is another project in which we can accommodate landless families from coastal areas. But as of now, the Corporation is finding it difficult to identify alternate land for implementing the EMS housing project,” Mr. Sundar says.
Besides, it is also important for the authorities to identify alternate land for the beneficiary near their locality as complete displacement will lead to other issues.
“There are hundreds of families in our coastal area who do not have any land ownership record. But their life and livelihood is closely linked with the sea. So if they are displaced to some other place it will affect their livelihood,” says Beemapally ward councillor Beemapally Rasheed.
Mr. Rasheed says that either the Corporation should acquire land within the coastal area for the EMS housing scheme.
