In a bid to make Puri slum-free, the district administration has started the survey process of the slums in the Piligrim City.
Housing and Urban Development Department has earlier announced that land pattas will be allotted to the families living in the slums.
However, resentment is brewing in the city as Bijaynagar, Maa Tarini and Maa Harachandi slums in the city have not been included in the survey process. Members of ‘Basti Surakhya Mancha’ (BSM) staged a protest on Monday demanding that the survey should cover all the slum areas in the city.
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“The families of the slums who have been evicted earlier are yet to be settled. We demand for their settlement first,” said Anita Patnaik, a member of BSM.
“There is no reason to exclude some slums from the survey. We demand Bijaynagar, Maa Tarini and Maa Harachandi slums to be included in the survey process,” said Patnaik.
The slum upgradation and de-listing initiative aims at improving the living conditions of the slum dwellers by providing them with piped water supply, paved roads, storm water drains, street lights, sanitation, household electricity, community spaces and recreational areas. The upgradation initiative will enhance the collective resilience of the slum dwellers by improving their lives and livelihoods.
(Edited by Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)