Bengaluru, June.28: Housing and Minorities Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan instructed the officials to chalk out a plan to provide permanent shelter to around 3,000 families living in declared slum areas but do not have shelter.
Speaking after receiving representations from various slum dwellers and pro-slum dwellers’ associations in the city at the Slum Development Board, he directed them to prepare a proposal for the construction of their own houses for families who have been living in huts and kutcha houses for decades, and in some cases have been living on rent.
Later, the minister said that though it has been declared as a slum, the houses could not be constructed due to the fact that it was a lake, a canal through which rainwater flows, a route through which the electricity line passes, and a forest area. Thousands of families have been living there in distress for decades without any basic amenities. Therefore, it has been decided to provide permanent shelter to all of them. Eight acres have already been identified at Bidarahalli in K.R.Pura Pura hobli. Similarly, the issue of acquiring government land in other parts of the city will be discussed with the revenue minister. A residential complex will be constructed by the Slum Development Board and all the families will be shifted, he added.
Zameer Ahmed said the residents have agreed that they are ready to shift elsewhere if permanent shelter is provided to them. Therefore, it has been suggested to prepare a proposal for the project at the earliest. This will help the families living in sheds, huts, and kutcha houses in kacharakanahalli lake limits, Vinayaka Nagar in Govindarajanagar, Kodipalya on Uttarahalli road, Bheemanakuppe, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Byatarayanapura area near Big Banyan tree.
Slum Development Board Commissioner Venkatesh and Chief Engineer Balaraju were present at the meeting.
