Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday announced a slew of measures to improve the living standards of weaker section families in the IDH Colony, Bhoiguda, Secunderabad, during his inspection on Monday evening after a section of the roof of a block (G plus 2) had collapsed in the wee hours of Saturday.
Along with municipal officials, he personally checked the dilapidated condition of the housing project, which was constructed in 1969 and occupied since 1972.
Residents took-up every conceivable place, including roofs and parapet walls, to get his glimpse as he moved into the bylanes.
“In five months, we will convert it into a model colony that will reflect our bigger plans to develop slums of weaker sections. We will construct houses from the scratch and issue land pattas so that you will be the legal owners,” he said.
Mr. Rao said that his Government was bound to its promise of alleviating poverty in slums. “It’s ironical that influential and powerful people live happily even though they have encroached on someone’s land.
The urban poor, however, live in penury and fear in slums without any legal documents,” he observed.
He allayed fears among residents about the need to vacate their dilapidated blocks.
“We will make sure that all the displaced residents are the rightful owners. We will take photographs of residents so that there is no confusion after the project is completed. You don’t need to spend a single paisa or go to a bank seeking for loan. We will provide everything,” Mr. Rao assured, drawing applause from residents.
Standing on a makeshift stage, along with Excise Minister Padma Rao and TDP MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mr. Rao promised to visit the colony once a month to check the project pace.
“We will provide you a market yard, a community hall and other basic amenities like drainage and drinking water supply,” the Chief Minister added.
Living on the edgeIDH Colony was supposed to have 11 blocks with a total of 360 houses.
At present, there are four blocks with 144 houses - completed and occupied.
The remaining 7 blocks with a total of 216 houses are yet to be constructed. Most of the blocks are in dilapidated state and have to be demolished to make way for new ones. But residents continue to reside.
“My husband works in a nearby hotel and I work as a domestic help in Bhoiguda. Our children are admitted to a nearby school and it would be difficult for us to vacate this block and go far away to live. It’s difficult to start our lives from scratch at a new place,” she pleads.
