Slum dwellers allotted flats in Faridabad

"We will now be called Sector-walleh instead of jhuggi walleh," said a beaming Prakaso Devi.

"We will now be called Sector-walleh instead of jhuggi walleh," said a beaming Prakaso Devi.

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She was one of the 700 slum dwellers who were allotted flats in Faridabad as part of a drive to remove encroachments on the by-pass road.

"I don’t know how to celebrate. We will now live a decent living, just like others who live in posh sectors," she said. Her relative Rajinder shared the same feeling.

The allotment was part of a plan by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to remove encroachment by rehabilitating slum dwellers from the road parallel to Mathura road.

The step assumed significance in view of a large

number of slum dwellers having set up their shacks along the by-pass road a few years ago.

This, officials claimed, had delayed the government's plans to widen this road before the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

The alternative housing arrangement is located in the newly created sectors like Sectors 62, 56 and 56 A, where flats were constructed exclusively for slum dwellers. They will be paying a nominal cost for the flats at 7 per cent interest rate.

Haryana Urban Development Authority Estates Officer Arvind Malhan said the housing scheme was launched in April.

"However, the lukewarm response by the slum dwellers forced Haryana Urban Development Authority to extend this scheme two times," Malhan added.

He said finally 785 families applied for the flats named as Ashyana out of which 690 were allotted their houses on Friday. He added the possession of the houses would happen in a few day’s time.

There are 3,080 flats in these sectors out of which 1,040 flats are in Sector 62 whereas the rest 2,040 have come up in Sector 56 and 56 A in Faridabad.