BANGALORE: To commemorate the golden jubilee of the formation of Karnataka, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday announced a "Suvarna Vasathi" (golden housing) scheme for providing houses to the poor and a "Suvarna Gramodaya" scheme to bring about a qualitative change in the life of rural people. He utilised his first Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag on Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground to announce the two schemes.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that in the light of the spiralling land values in and around Bangalore, the Government had formulated a group housing plan to provide houses to the poor. It would be implemented with the participation of landowners. A new policy would be announced to develop residential layouts. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which would develop the layout, would allot sites to landowners as compensation for acquisition of their lands, he said.

In his 24-page address in Kannada, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government was thinking of creating "Greater Bangalore" by merging seven city municipal councils and a town municipal council with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for their overall development. A final plan would be announced in two months, he said.

Survey work

A survey work had been taken up to set up five satellite towns in Bidadi, Ramangara, Sathanur, Solur and Nandagudi. About 500 acres of land would be set aside for forming 50,000 sites by BDA. The sites would be allotted to socially and economically backward families, he said.

A massive housing programme to provide houses to 30,000 slum dwellers would be inaugurated soon. A plan had been prepared for the development of 219 slums in Bangalore with the participation of private parties and it would be launched on a pilot basis in four slums, he said.

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