THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, March
1, 2012
Project to come up at Kalladimukham
Urban Affairs Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty on Wednesday inaugurated
the Kalladimukham slum improvement project of the City Corporation, being
implemented under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme.
Mayor K. Chandrika presided over the function. V. Sivankutty,
MLA, was the chief guest. Deputy Mayor G. Happykumar; Corporation standing
committee chairpersons Shajida Nasser, Palayam Rajan, V.S. Padmakumar, S.
Pushpalatha, Vanaja Rajendrababu and P. Shyamkumar; United Democratic Front
leader in the council Johnson Joseph; and BJP leader Ashok Kumar were present.
In two phases
As many as 318 housing units would be constructed under the
Rs.10.5-crore project, in two phases. The project will be implemented by
COSTFORD.
Of the total housing units, 105 are for families belonging to
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes categories, and 213 units for general
category families.
The project coming up in around nine acres in Kalladimukham
colony also includes construction of a community hall, study centre, library,
anganwadi, television kiosk, roads, storm-water drainage, biogas plant, health
club, streetlights, drinking water supply and so on.
The first phase of the project, that includes construction of 105
houses, is expected to be completed in a year.
Although a section of colony residents had initially protested
against the inclusion of beneficiaries from general category in the project,
the differences had been sorted out recently with the intervention of City
Mayor K. Chandrika.
‘Issues resolved'
The agitators had demanded that the benefits of the project
should be provided only to deserving families from Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes as the land for the housing project had been bought using the
Special Component Plan (SCP) fund allotted for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled
Tribes development projects.
“The agitators were under the wrong impression that the
Corporation had bought the land Kalladimukham using SCP funds alone. But the
Corporation had, in fact, bought the land using both SCP and general fund. So
beneficiaries from both categories can avail of the benefits of the project.
The Mayor had recently convened a meeting to convince this to the agitators
following which the issue was resolved,” said Corporation works standing
committee chairman V.S. Padmakumar.
He added that the steps for preparing the beneficiary list for
the project would begin soon.
Families from slum areas in 15 wards adjoining Kalladimukham will
be rehabilitated with the project.
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