Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

80 city slums identified for development

Special Correspondent

Corpn. has drawn up scheme for Rs.199 crore

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore Corporation has identified 80 slums in the city for development in two phases.

These are out of the 173 in the city that are to be provided with multi-storeyed tenements, primary health centres, maternity centres, community hall and all basic amenities including drinking water connections.

Basic services

The Corporation has drawn up a scheme for Rs.199 crore to cover all the slums. The aim is to provide basic services to the urban poor, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The civic body plans to cover 18 slums in the first phase at Rs.58 crore. The second phase will take up 62 slums. The rest will be covered in subsequent phases after a detailed survey.

Each tenement will have a carpet area of 268 sq.ft. and cost Rs.1.68 lakh.

Preliminary study

Consultants who have made a preliminary study and are preparing a detailed project report said at a discussion organised by the Corporation recently that 10 per cent of the cost of the house would be collected from the beneficiary if they belonged to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribes sections.

The others would have to pay 12.5 per cent as the beneficiaries' contribution. This would be out of the 30 per cent cost of the project the Corporation should bear. The Central Government would give 50 per cent grant and the State 20 per cent (of the total project cost). Each house would have a kitchen, bathroom, toilet and two bedrooms.

New structures

This programme to rid the city of slums with huts and tiled roof tenements aimed at either providing the new structures close to the present place of stay or wherever land was available.

But, the Corporation was clear that it would not be too far from the present place of stay as it would discourage the slum-dwellers from moving out.

"Choosing a site that is one or two km away will be the last resort. But, people will go there only if these places have adequate bus services to the city."

Water bodies

Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran said that the Corporation wanted to remove the slums on water bodies, along roads, on private, railways and forest department lands. "There are 49 slums on water bodies (canals and tanks), 12 on road margins, 15 on private lands, eight on railway lands and one on a forest department land," he said based on a study conducted so far. An estimated 55,000 people encroached road margins, canals and private lands.

No discrimination

More surveys were to be carried out. When councillors said some slums in their wards had been left out of the survey, he asked them to give suggestions to the Corporation that could be incorporated in the scheme.

Mayor R. Venkatachalam clarified that no slum would be overlooked. "There will be no discrimination. Councillors can write to us on such areas." The Mayor and Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman A. Nandakumar asked the Commissioner whether the proposed houses were only for the owners of houses in the slums or the tenants also. Councillors wanted the tenants also included in the scheme.

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