Odisha approves 240 EWS houses for evicted slum dwellers

The Odisha government has given its nod to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority's (BDA) proposal to construct 240 houses for evicted slum dwellers at Chandrasekharpur.

BDA vice-chairman Krishan Kumar said families removed by BDA from its land at Tarinibasti and Arabinda Basti will be rehabilitated in the project. "The tender for involving a private developer to construct the houses will be invited soon. Work will be executed at the earliest," Kumar said.

He added: "Since BDA will <g data-gr-id="18">monetise</g> the land vacated by the slum dwellers, we wanted to rehabilitate the affected families as a social responsibility."

According to the BDA's proposal, a five-storeyed structure (ground + four) of EWS category houses will come up over 2.14 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 15.36 crore. The authority will spend Rs 10.61 crore on civil work, Rs 2.72 crore on PH work and the rest on other associated costs, financial adviser (housing and urban development) AK Ray wrote to the BDA VC on Friday.

The project cost would be met from Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) and Capital Region Development Fund. Beneficiaries would pay only about 20 <g data-gr-id="19">per cent</g> of the project cost. BDA would help them <g data-gr-id="20">secure</g> loan from the banks, he said.