Southern States
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Pondicherry
Plan to make Pondy slum-free
By Our Staff Reporter
PONDICHERRY, DEC. 5. The Union Territory administration is finalising a master plan for building houses for the homeless and to ensure that all four regions in the Union Territory are slum-free, said the Chief Minister Mr.N.Rangasamy.
He speaking during the inauguration of the Rs 2.28 crore-residential quarters for government employees under Types II and III at Olandaikeerapalayam in Modeliarpet block near here today.
Stating that he had personally witnessed the unhygienic conditions in which the poor were living in Uppalam constituency during a recent visit, he said the administration had drawn up a massive housing scheme and foreign loan assistance will be sought to implement the same.
House site pattas were being disbursed to the poor and schemes for constructing `pukka' houses were being implemented in the Union Territory. A crash programme will also be shortly implemented to cover the homeless under the housing site scheme. The Slum Clearance Board was already spending Rs.2.5 crores annually for developing sites in slum areas. An additional Rs.5 crore-special housing scheme has been envisaged in the tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007).
This apart, government employees have been provided with housing quarters at Lawspet. Similar accomodation facilities have been provided to police personnel in Gorimedu. The Chief Minister also lauded the ``quality consciousness'' of the PWD in the construction of houses and infrastructure facilities in government offices and institutions.
Later, the Chief Minister laid a foundation for the Rs. 1.97 crore-quarters for the government staff under Type I in the campus. Another 66 units will be constructed at the site.
The Chief Secretary, Mr T.T.Joseph, said nearly 901 PWD daily-wage employees had been regularised. However, a Central Government directive had advised the department against employing the services of additional casual labourers. The Centre feared that this would lead to a huge chunk of funds being used as payments, leading to financial crisis in the Union Territory.
Mr.A.Anbalagan (AIADMK), Uppalam constituency MLA, criticised the administration for showing haste in spending Rs. 2.28 crores for the 60 tenements. But much needs to be done to improve the nearly 4,000 huts near the venue of the function.
With nearly 75,000 huts in Pondicherry, efforts should been focussed on provide `pucca' buildings for the poor. Hence the housing scheme for the poor should be implemented at the earliest, he said.
Mr. K.Lakshminarayanan, Tourism Minister, Dr.M.A.S. Subramanian, MLA, Mr.A.Anbarasu, District Collector, Mr.Subash Chandra Bose, PWD Chief Engineer, and Mr.B.Koteeswara Rao Superintending Engineer, also spoke.
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