Karnataka - Bangalore

Nearly 300 families in slums yet to be given houses

Staff Reporter

Panel hears grievances of slum dwellers; more houses in the offing

MANY PROBLEMS: President of Karnataka Trade Union Centre G.R. Shivashankar (left), freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy, former High Court of Karnataka judge K.S. Puttaswamy, former Minister B.T. Lalitha Naik and Leader of the Opposition in Bangalore Mahan agara Palike Council B.R. Nanjudappa meeting slum dwellers at an adalat in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: Nearly 300 families living in slums in Yeshwantpur and Malleswaram have not received houses due to them. These families had paid Rs. 5,100 each to the Karnataka Slum Development Board in 2003.

"I lost my son in last year's monsoon because we did not have a house. I had borrowed money to pay Rs. 5,100 to the board. But I have still not got anything," a slum dweller Roshanissa said.

She was speaking at an adalat to hear the grievances of slum dwellers. K.S. Puttaswamy, retired High Court judge; H.S. Doreswamy, freedom fighter; B.T. Lalitha Naik former Minister; Kathyayini Chamraj, writer and social activist; and G.R. Shivshankar, president of Karnataka Trade Union Centre; were on the panel that listened to the woes of more than 100 slum dwellers.

B.R. Nanjundappa, area corporator and Leader of the Opposition in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Council, in his inaugural speech, said that he had given about one acre of land for construction of houses to the Slum Development Board. However, nothing had been done, he said.

More than 30 per cent of Bangalore's population live in the 765 slums in the city, according to K.C. Venkatesh, director of Paraspara Trust. But the Slum Development Board had not utilised government funds, he said and claimed that it had sent the funds back.

Rajanna, Assistant Commissioner, Slum Development Board, said that houses were being planned for slum dwellers in the city. Laggere, Chikkabommasandra and Doddabommasandra were some of the areas where houses would be constructed for them, Mr. Rajanna said.

As much as 300 acres of land was in the process of being identified outside the city so that more housing units could be built for slum dwellers, he added.

On the issue of providing basic amenities in slums, he said that only 218 slums in the city were authorised. The remaining had come up on private land, which needed to be acquired before amenities were provided, Mr. Rajanna said.

At the end of the session, the panel members insisted that land be reserved within the city for slum dwellers and not on the outskirts. Basic amenities should be provided to slum dwellers so that they could lead a dignified life, the panel said.

On Mr. Rajanna's explanation why civic amenities had not been provided to some slums, the panel sought to know why there was an inordinate delay in acquiring land on which slums were located.

The panel said that while land was easily acquired or reserved for big projects, the ones for the poor had not received adequate attention.

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