Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami seeks special package for rehab of slum dwellers in Chennai

CHENNAI:
The State government has requested the Centre to provide a special
package, on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis, to rehabilitate slum-dwellers in
Chennai.

The request figured in the
memorandum Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami presented to Union
Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Poverty Alleviation Venkaiah
Naidu on Sunday. The memorandum sought the support of the Central
government for several urban development related issues.

“I
request a special package under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Housing
For All) mission to construct 1 lakh multi-storeyed flats over a period
of four years at a total cost of Rs 10,000 crore,” the Chief Minister
said.

Several other issues were highlighted in the memorandum,
including securing financial assistance for a proposed 400 million litre
per day (MLD) desalination plant, costing Rs 5312 crore, in Chennai.
The Centre was requested to help secure project funding from the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The Ministry of Urban
Development was  also urged to approve smart city proposals for six
cities, viz, Tiruchy, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Erode, Tiruppur and
Dindigul.

The
CM also appealed for the inclusion of Tamil Nadu co-operative
federation as an implementing agency for the credit linked subsidy
scheme under the Housing for All mission. Since the federation had vast
reach among urban poor, its inclusion would help in effective
implementation of the mission.