These slums are being sidelined by babus

Disruption in water supply and non functioning street lamps at posh layouts are immediately attended to by the authorities concerned. But there are some areas in city, where the residents have to compromise with every situation be it irregular water or power supply and road facilities.

There are 103 slums in Hassan district. In all, 34,750 families reside in slums. Out of this, 20,466 families are living in areas that have been declared as slums and the rest live in the same condition, but not these areas are not identified as slum areas. As a result, the Slum Clearance Board will not be able to take up any development works in these places.

The population of Hassan city is 1.5 lakh and there are 32 slums in the city. While 25 slums have been identified, the remaining seven has not been categorised and announced as slums. According to statistics, about 6,779 families live in slums in city.

But one visit to old Hassan region you get a completely different picture. The whole area resembles a slum with open clogged drains emanating stench, pot hole riddled roads - the list goes on.

Sri Nagar, behind Hassan subjail is a huge slum and as per the Slum Clearance Board though some development works have been taken up, the residents are not happy as the city’s solid wastes are being dumped near their slum all round the year. They had even staged a protest against it in front of deputy commissioner’s office recently.

Though some living in categorised slums have demolised the thatched huts and have constructed a concrete building, they too have to suffer bad roads and dry taps as the rest.

Residents here opine that the Slum Clearance Board should be given more powers to take up development works and change the face of these slums.