'Rajajinagar to be hut-free in 3 years'

He made the announcement during the inauguration of newly-constructed houses at Indiranagar slum in Rajajinagar on Wednesday.

He said the Urban Development Department (UDD) was in discussion with the BBMP and the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board to identify slums in Rajajinagar. “Once the slums are identified they will be eligible for funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). Presently, only slums identified by the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board is eligible to receive funds under the JnNURM.

Subsidies to be increased

Subsidies to slum dwellers will be increased considerably under the JnNURM scheme. The scheme, which will enable slum dwellers to construct new houses, will include 1,500 beneficiaries in the coming three years.

Suresh Kumar also mooted adopting a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model on the lines of the one adopted in Maharashtra. Presently, houses are constructed under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) component of JnNURM. Under this, beneficiaries pitch in with 10 per cent of the total cost of Rs two lakh to construct the house, with the remaining being borne by the Government.

The houses are constructed as per the preferences of the beneficiary on an area of approximately 300 square feet. At the Indiranagar slum, construction of 102 houses have been taken up by the Slum Board, of which 85 have been completed. The remaining 17 houses are expected to be ready by November.