Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday requested M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, to provide financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 crore for a housing project for families living along Chennai’s waterways.
During her meeting with Mr. Naidu at the Secretariat, Ms. Jayalalithaa specifically drew attention to the plight of slum dwellers who resided along the Adyar and Cooum rivers and the Buckingham Canal, who were the worst affected in the recent floods.
50,000 families in need
The Chief Minister said there were about 50,000 such families and they had to be provided alternative housing at other locations and a special project had been drawn up for the same.
In addition, Ms. Jayalalithaa also sought a special package of financial assistance of Rs.750 crore for in-situ construction of a further 50,000 tenements for families living in slums in Chennai Metropolitan Area, under the Centre’s scheme of Housing for All. While Centre’s assistance would be at the rate of Rs.1.50 lakh per house the State government would contribute Rs.1 lakh per house, making a total grant of Rs. 2.50 lakh for in situ construction of permanent housing, she said.
Detailing the extensive damage to roads, drinking water, sewage and storm water drainage systems in flood-affected urban local bodies, she said preliminary estimates showed that to restore these systems an amount exceeding Rs. 4,500 crore would be required.
