Slums to be spruced up as Guwahati heads for face-lift

Guwahati, Apr 16 (UNI) The slums in Guwahati will be spruced up as the city heads for a major face-lift and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has vowed to remove all 'scars' from the city's 'soon-to-be-beautiful' face.

The draft Guwahati Master Plan 2025, which has set to redraw the map of Guwahati, has also incorporated ambitious plans for upgradation, resettlement and setting up of housing units for the urban poor.

As much as 20 per cent (0.16 million people) of the city's total population live in 26 slum pockets in the Guwahati Municipal Corporation area, as per information provided by the Town and Country Planning department, Asom.

While most of the slum areas have come up along the railway tracks, which runs through the city, many other slum pockets are in the commercial areas. Few pockets have also come up on the hill slopes,according to the draft Master Plan prepared by the GMDA.

The plan has embedded three means of providing accommodation, sanitary facilities and other basic amenities to the slum dwellers.

While the existing slums on government land that are not needed for any other developmental projects would be upgraded, other slum pockets would be resettled at appropriate areas keeping in consideration distance from work places.

Moreover, all new housing schemes would have at least 30 per cent of total housing as one-roomed houses, part of which would go to the urban poor generally living in the slums.

All new land development schemes would keep one per cent of the total land for informal sector and vendor markets so that the urban poor families would be able to maintain their livelihood with earning activities.

The GMDA has also proposed in the Master plan that night shelter, sanitation and bathing facilities would be developed for fresh migrants to the city.

The total cost of the project for slum areas development has been estimated at Rs 13,502 crore, spread over 15,425 hectares of land across the city.

HUDCO and Infrastructure Leasing and Finance Corporation would finance a part of it.

Another substantial part would be provided under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which has earmarked Rs 1,20,000 crore to be spent in seven years in 63 cities including Guwahati.

UNI