The residents of P and T and Udaya Colonies in Gandhi Nagar in the city can now hope for a better life as various agencies are coming together for relocating them.
While the Kochi Corporation will provide the residents title deeds for the holdings, a prerequisite for considering the applications of the residents in the LIFE Mission housing project, the State government has agreed to provide the required support for the scheme.
Minister assures to consider matter
Local Administration Minister K.T. Jaleel has offered to consider the case of the residents of the two colonies in the mission project and also to clear the allocation of the land of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) for the housing scheme, said a communication issued by Hibi Eden, MLA.
In his submission made on the floor of the Assembly, Mr. Eden suggested government intervention for providing the residents houses at the holding owned by the GCDA.
The Kochi Corporation Council meeting held on Wednesday had approved an agenda suggesting that the case of the residents be considered in the mission programme, said A.B. Sabu, chairman of the Welfare Standing Committee of the local body.
The families are living in a poor environment and have to be rehabilitated. While rehabilitating them at the holding owned by the GCDA, the Kochi Corporation will not be able to raise funds for contributing towards the share of the Urban Local Body (ULB). The State government would meet the ULB share, he said.
Recently, a section of the residents, led by corporation councillor Poornima Narayan, had staged a protest in front of the corporation, demanding steps for the rehabilitation of the residents. Ms. Narayan had also refused to provide a letter endorsing that the division was free of open defecation, which was required for declaring Kochi Corporation Open Defecation Free area. She was of the stand that such a certification could not be provided when proper toilet facilities were not available for the 110 families.
