Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday distributed land right certificates to 2,000 slum families living in eight NACs in Ganjan district under the Slum land Rights Act.
Patnaik distributed land right certificates (Pattas) at launching ceremony of the Slum land Titling Project and Odisha liveable Habitat Mission held at Chhatrapur.
Tata Trust Chairman Ratan Tata, British architect Norman Foster, land rights activist Dr Gautam Bahn, Tata Trusts managing trustee R Venkat Raman, Housing and Urban Development Minister Niranjan Pujari and all other Ministers and MlAs of Ganjam were present.
“Seven months ago we took a path-breaking decision on urban land-rights and I am proud to announce that it has already become a reality today. There was a choice between continuing the practices of evictions and treating people as encroachers or recognising their immense contribution to the life of the city and providing them land rights. We choose the second option by keeping people first,” said the Chief Minister.
Approximately one million people residing in 2,500 slums across the State will be benefitted over the next few years under the project.
Beneficiaries will get Rs 2 lakh to build their homes, along with basic needs like electricity, healthcare, education, sanitation, Anganwadi Centres and skill development centres.
The Chief Minister said land settlement is being done in a systematic and scientific manner with the involvement of community who will be deciding the settlement of land in favor of the slum dwellers.
Under the first phase of survey and validation of 3,000 households in an Urban local Body (UlB) in Puri and seven UlBs of Ganjam district, land rights have been awarded to 2,000 households by the Government.
Under the second phase which is underway, the Tata Trusts is providing technical support including drone surveys and slum mapping for around 1,00,000 households in 10 districts of the State.
While the beneficiaries in NACs would get 600 sq feet land each, their counterparts in municipalities would get 450 sq feet and beneficiaries in municipal corporations would avail 300 sq feet built up areas for residential purpose.