The state government is all set to start the slum rehabilitation programme by providing the affordable housing to the slum dwellers under the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).
The programme will be launched on a pilot basis in Bhubaneswar from tomorrow and later it will be expanded to Cuttack, Berhampur. Rourkela and Balasore in phased manner, said Saurabh Garg, Commssioner-cum-Secretary, state Housing and Urban Development department.
Investment for providing affordable housing to the slum dwellers in the city will be around Rs 50 crore. The slums in the city will rehabilitated in phased manner, he said.
Each beneficiary will be provided house with a built up area of 300 square feet under the scheme which would cost around Rs 3.5 lakh and the cost will be shared by the Centre, state and the beneficiary, Garg added.
He also called upon the private players to contribute towards rehabilitation of slum dwellers in the state. Garg was speaking at a seminar on ‘Housing for Urban Life with Sustainable Technology’, organized by Orissa chapter of CII.
He admitted that it is difficult to achieve slum free state by 2017 and urged the slum dwellers to support the government initiative for their resettlement and rehabilitation.
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However, the experts opposed the state government’s plan to include the private players in the slum development programme.
There should be increased government role in city development plans and providing affordable housing to the slum developers. The projects undertaken for the development of slums under PPP (public-private partnership) mode has been counterproductive as the private developer are, after all, in search for profits at the end of the day, said PK Das, expert in social sector housing and slum rehabilitation.