Govt plans major steps for slum-free state

The government is working towards providing title deeds to dwellers in 3,300 slums on public and private land across the State, he said.

“We are providing title deeds so that the state government can access funds under the Central government’s JNNURM scheme,” he said. Naidu was speaking at an event to distribute BDA allotment letters to beneficiaries on Wednesday.

The government will issue title deeds to slum dwellers on public land starting next month, he said. “Once this is done, we will be able to access funds upto Rs 2,000 crore for making the State slum-free,” he said.

For slums on private land, the government is looking at a variety of options. “We are considering the option of providing land owners Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) to compensate them. We are also looking at constructing housing quarters in partnership with the land owners and give them a portion of the quarters,” the minister said.

Four-storeyed housing complexes are being considered, but the sharing formula with land owners is yet to be finalised, he said. Naidu said that the State Cabinet would soon arrive at a decision. The government had identified 3,319 slums across the state and 570 in Bangalore alone, he added.

Home and Transport Minister R Ashok advised BDA officials to survey lands that were under consideration for notification. “Please do not notify lands that already have houses constructed on them,” he said. Ashok praised the BDA for providing sites to those who have lost their homes on account of the houses being constructed on revenue land or forest land.

Around 2,000 sites are expected to be allotted by the end of the month, he added.