E-Paper
LMC move to get Haidar Canal ?freed?
HAIDAR CANAL dwellers may get houses in the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna (VAMBAY) if the Lucknow Municipal Corporation?s proposal to the district administration gets a go-ahead. Municipal Commissioner Ram Bodh Maurya has written to the district administration for the displacement of the occupants of Haider Canal hutments to free the canal from encroachers. The municipal chief has directed the Tehsildar, to provide him the list of the occupants settled on both sides of the Canal.
HAIDAR CANAL dwellers may get houses in the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna (VAMBAY) if the Lucknow Municipal Corporation’s proposal to the district administration gets a go-ahead. Municipal Commissioner Ram Bodh Maurya has written to the district administration for the displacement of the occupants of Haider Canal hutments to free the canal from encroachers. The municipal chief has directed the Tehsildar, to provide him the list of the occupants settled on both sides of the Canal.
In the first phase, the LMC would conduct a survey of houses on each side. In the second phase, the LMC would counsel the dwellers about the necessity to leave the place. The counselling will focus on how a continued is dangerous for their and their children’s health, besides exposing them to monsoon dangers, said the municipal commissioner.
Alternative low-cost housing plans like the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) to provide proper civic amenities to the slum-dwellers is the only choice before the LMC to displace these slum dwellers he said.
The LMC has asked the information about the houses in the ready condition so that the process of displacement could be started soon . Some of these houses are still under construction in the various parts of city.
Maurya said he was aware about the instances, where slum-dwellers relocated on the city’s periphery have returned and resettled in urban areas because of dearth of basic civic amenities in these housing schemes and means to earn their livelihood.
“Its difficult to bring them out of the Haider canal colony but there is no other alternative . Evacuation drives by civic authorities to eject encroachers, squatters from the area have failed in the past in absence of any proper rehabilitation plan that’s why we don’t want to confront these occupants but make them understand the importance of leading a quality life,” said Maurya.
They are living here without proper sewerage, road and drinking water facilities. But there in VAMBAY houses they would be having them all.
On the other side the slum dwellers have started a dharna under the banner of Lucknow Vikas Manch against the proposal of their displacement from the nullah. The dharna was on till the news was written. The municipal commissioner has directed the officials to councel the people on dharna and educate them about the quality of life , which they would be getting after the Haider Canal colony.
On condition of anonymity an official said, “ Do LMC officials know the number of VAMBAY houses in the city. Have they inquired about the availability of funds for the construction of VAMBAY houses, for thousands of slum dwellers .Its not easy to displace thousands of slum dwellers , with in few days, how can you build such houses in quick time.”
