Ahead of urban bodies’ elections next year, the State Government has decided to provide lands to the landless slum dwellers in municipalities and Notified Area Councils (NACs).
A decision in this regard was taken at a State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Tuesday.
Govt to provide lands to urban slum dwellers while land rights would be granted to the slum dwellers of Municipal Councils and NACs, property rights would be accorded to the slum dwellers of the Municipal Corporation areas.
“We have taken a historic decision today to grant land rights to the slum dwellers living in municipal councils and NACs of the State and property rights to those living in Municipal Corporation areas,” Patnaik told reporters after the meeting.
The Cabinet approved a proposal to provide 600 sqft of land to each landless slum resident in the NACs and 350 sqft land to each in the municipality areas.
Besides, Patnaik said, “The Cabinet today approved promulgation of two Ordinances for assigning land rights and property rights to the identified slum dwellers for development, rehabilitation and upgradation of slums.”
“The urban poor in slum will get land rights for residential use that are heritable, mortgageable and non-transferrable. In the corporate areas, limited transferrable rights will be given,” he added.
A certificate of land right would be issued jointly the name of both the spouses in case of married persons and in the name of single head in case of a household headed by a single person.
Adequate transit arrangement would be made in case of rehabilitation of slum dwellers.
A Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation Committee would be constituted at district level headed by Collector to grant certificate of land right to the eligible slum dwellers.
Similarly, an Urban Poor Welfare Fund would be constituted for rehabilitation, redevelopment and upgradation of slums and provision of basic urban services.