While a majority of slums in Greater Hyderabad do not even have basic amenities and slums dwellers are being forced live in shabby conditions, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is charting a route towards making Hyderabad slum-free in the next five years.
The GHMC has prepared a slum-free city plan of action and prioritised slums based on their social status and deficiencies in infrastructure facilities. For the project, funds would be tapped under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY). RAY, a program initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation aims at a ‘Slum-Free India’ in the next five years.
It envisages bringing existing slums within the formal system and enabling them to avail the same level of basic amenities as the rest of the town, while also tackling shortages of urban land and housing that keep shelter out of reach for the urban poor.
The Centre will provide 50 per cent funds, state government 20 per cent, and GHMC 30 per cent.
The decision of the central government is awaited for taking up this plan of action over a period of five years.
A total expenditure involved for development of 1,476 slums would be around `11,732 crore, of which `9,185 crore is earmarked for housing. As much as `2,398 crore has been allotted for environmental infrastructure and another `148 crore for social infrastructure.
GHMC officials said the corporation had selected Keshav Nagar in Serilingamplly circle as pilot slum.