Kerala - Kochi   

Housing project for evictees in limbo

KOCHI: The plight of the 40-odd families evicted from the banks of Perandoor Canal continues as the housing project aimed at their rehabilitation is yet to gain pace.

It is nearly 10 months since the evictees were sheltered at Hotel Libra owned by the Kochi Corporation at Ernakulam North.

The Corporation authorities had assured the evictees that they would be rehabilitated within three months of eviction. The evictees were also offered 1.5 cents as part of the rehabilitation package.

“Despite the assurance, the rehabilitation of evictees did not materialise and the Corporation is adopting a lethargic approach to their plight,” said K.X. Francis, councillor, representing the Perumanoor division of the Corporation.

Sixteen families from the Perumanoor division voluntarily moved out of their houses following the assurances of the civic authorities regarding rehabilitation. But the assurances had not materialised so far, he said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Mercy Williams said that there were no takers for the housing project despite re-tendering the construction work twice. This delayed the construction of the housing units.

She said it was under the Basic Services for the Urban Poor project of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission that the Corporation planned to set up multi-dwelling units for their rehabilitation. Besides rehabilitating the evictees, the civic body also planned to provide housing for some of the slum dwellers of Kochi in the project.

The mission had earlier sanctioned Rs.121 crore for the Kochi project.

“With the price of construction materials going up, no one is coming forward to take up the work. The Corporation is planning to meet the builders for settling the issue,” she said.

“At present, the Corporation is taking care of the power and water supply bills of the evictees. Earlier, they were also provided food,” she said.

On the reluctance of the builders to take up the work, Mr. Francis suggested that the Corporation should approach the government for rescheduling the rates fixed for construction materials and related works.

The Corporation should adopt a humanitarian approach while considering the case of the evictees.

“The only consolation for the evictees is that they have not been thrown to the streets but housed in a hotel building owned by the Corporation,” he said.

He demanded steps for completing the housing units without delay.

Francis Kalathungal, general convener of the coordination committee for the evictees, urged the authorities to rehabilitate the evictees. Any delay in rehabilitating the evictees cannot be justified, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A boon for the differently abled
KSSIA unit plans industrial directory
Ghazal concert
Government contractors’ demand
High Court unhappy
Pinarayi criticised
Contractors’ demand
SSLC exams begin on a smooth note
Students prevented from writing exam
Education sector under threat: Jose Baby
Power outage in district
Housing project for evictees in limbo
Kochi Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu