The Hindu 18.07.2016
Slum-dwellers to get new houses in the same locality
The slum clearance board has taken up construction of 26,978 houses
The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) will be constructing 26,978 in the same locality houses across the State.
“As many as 180 locations across the State have been approved for
in situ
construction,” said a senior official from TNSCB. “There has been a big
demand from people for in situ constructions and we wish to cover the
maximum we can,” he added. While 100 houses have been completed, 20,779
houses are being constructed.
In Chennai, 4,662
houses under the Beneficiary Led Individual Construction have been
approved. Red Hills, Moolakadai, Koyambedu, and South Madras are among
the areas chosen for construction. The construction of 925 houses is in
progress.
The cost of the
in situ
beneficiary-led housing project is Rs. 69,472 lakh. It will be implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Officials
said while they had been providing pattas to slum dwellers, the ones
who live on untenable land cannot be regularised, even if they have been
living there for generations. “To accommodate people who live on these
lands we have built houses in Perumbakkam and Kannagi Nagar,” the
official said.
“How
can we move to a place which is 40 km away from the city, leaving
behind our home, livelihood, and education of our children. We have
lived here for generations,” said R. Alamelu, a resident of Govindasamy
Nagar, who along with hundreds of residents in the area was on the brink
of eviction. While a large number of families in the area were
relocated from the locality over the years, Alamelu and others have been
fighting it.
“We want in situ construction and have
requested the higher authorities for it, time and again. We cannot
afford to struggle like our friends in the resettlement colonies,” said
S. Jyotsna, a student.
A 2005 pre-feasibility study
conducted by TNSCB states that “clearance and relocation of slums costs
10 times more than upgrading at the existing sites”