Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Pilot project taken up under RAY for slum-free city

VIJAYAWADA: In a bid to make Vijayawada a slum-free city, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has commenced a pilot project to study features of a slum – Bestavaripeta near Punnamighat – a couple of weeks ago.

The VMC officials would prepare a “base map” for the slum with the help of a field study as well as by using the GIS maps. The VMC is in possessions of maps prepared manually by the officials. But, to be more precise, the Corporation would make use of the GIS maps. The study would be completed by the end of the month. The VMC would take up “in situ development” at Bestavaripeta under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a scheme that the Central government would launch shortly.

The stress, according to Municipal Commissioner G. Ravi Babu, would be on ‘in situ re-development' of the slum to keep dislocation of slum-dwellers to the lowest possible. Pointing out that the concept is for inclusive growth, he says relocation of dwellers would be done only where it is absolutely unavoidable.

The Corporation would construct the houses for the slum-dwellers there apart from providing infrastructure and other facilities. The VMC would have to pick and choose one model among 12 models, including Public Private Partnership (PPP), prescribed in the guidelines of the RAY. There are 200-300 families living in the slum spread across 5-6 acres. And, the land could be used for housing and also for providing common amenities on the river front, he says. The Corporation has identified 110 slums in the city. Of these, 19 slums are “hazardous” and need to be relocated, while 25 slums are in hilly areas. The remaining could be considered for ‘in situ development'. Once the pilot project is completed, the VMC would prepare a detailed project report for the entire city. “We are yet to decide which model would be suitable for Bestavaripeta,” he says.

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