Process of rehabilitating slum dwellers begins

BHUBANESWAR:Ahead of Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in November, civic authorities have started the process of rehabilitating slum dwellers around Kalinga Stadium to rid the area of encroachment.

As per a drive started by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) on Saturday, 300 slum dwellers from Jagannath Basti near the stadium will be relocated. Officials said this would pave way for landscaping, creation of parking facility and entry from gate no 9 during the mega sports event. However, owing to stiff resistance from locals, the eviction drive at Jagannath Basti was stopped midway. Later, the slum dwellers relented after assurance by BMC and BDA officials that their families will be relocated and given 20X12 square feet land at Pandakudia near SUM Hospital along with financial aid amounting to `35,000 and additional assistance of `8,000 for construction of toilets.

The civic body officials said vehicles will be arranged for shifting the slum dwellers’ belongings and they will be provided cooked food for 15 days. BDA additional commissioner and member, Enforcement Bhawani Shankar Chayani said the relocated families will be provided plots after three years on a priority basis.  On Saturday, the relocated families were provided polythene sheets for temporary roof cover.
Earlier, the civic authorities had conducted a joint eviction drive near Gate no 1 of Kalinga Stadium on September 27 and had removed 31 structures from the Behera Sahi area to make way for beautification of the stadium ahead of the World Cup in which Hockey teams from 16 countries are slated to participate.