Roof over their head still a distant dream for thousands of urban poor in Kakinada

For the 300-odd families living in various slums, a permanent shelter remains a distant dream.
Garikina Mangamma in front of her makeshift hut in Kakinada | Express
Garikina Mangamma in front of her makeshift hut in Kakinada | Express

KAKINADA: For the 300-odd families living in various slums, a permanent shelter remains a distant dream. Their repeated pleas to the authorities to allocate pucca houses under a government housing scheme have fallen on deaf ears. For over a decade, they have been living in makeshift huts amid deplorable conditions without any hope of decent life.

Living with their children and elderly people in shanties covered with tarpaulin or plastic sheets in unhygienic environs, these poor people often fall prey to mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.
A young woman, Yeripalli Ratnam, gave birth to a female baby one month ago in a thatched hut at Swarnandhra Colony near Parlopeta. She moved into her aged parents’ hut after her husband deserted her. She lived there since 2011 and, on October 11 this year, the municipal authorities removed the huts leaving Ratnam and several others shelterless. She is now living in a hut covered with a tarpaulin sheet.

Benefits of housing scheme yet to reach the urban poor of Kakinada

The locality is adjacent to a dump yard where pigs, dogs and snakes roam freely. Unable to fend for herself and support her parents, Ratnam cannot dream of getting a house under any government housing scheme by paying anywhere close to Rs 75,000. Similar is the case with Thiramasetti Radha, who has to take care of her two children, after the death of her husband Abraham three years ago. She lives in the slum without even proper shelter.

Not just Swarnandhra Colony, the dwellers of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Colony, which came into existence in 2011 beside NTR Gruhakalpa G+2 Apartments has the same story. The huts were removed by the KMC and mandal revenue officials with the help of the Port police in 2015. However, they did not move from there and around 170 families are now living in pitiable conditions. “We have given petitions urging officials to allot houses in Gruhakalpa in the city several times. But officials did not responded yet. Moreover, the KMC authorities are threatening to remove our huts,’’ they complained.

Though keeping his promise to provide pucca houses to all homeless families in urban areas, CM N Chandrababu Naidu sanctioned NTR urban housing and Gruhakalpa, there are allegations that the beneficiaries’ selection process is being influenced by local politicians and the genuine ones are left out as they are not in a position to pay even the meagre contribution.

Kakinada urban tehsildar Gogula Varahalaiah said the selection process is done by the Kakinada Municipal Corporation officials. “We are confined only to the allocation of land for the housing scheme,’’ he said. KMC commissioner K Ramesh said beneficiaries are selected by the selection committee headed by the district collector.

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