Slum-free project set to take wing soon

KOCHI: If all the planning translates into action, five corporations in the state will get rid of their slums in less than a couple of years. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kozhikode are the cities selected for the slum-free city project under the Rajiv Awaz Yojana (RAY). The initial steps have begun in most of these cities. The plan is to eradicate slums and rehabilitate the slum dwellers suitably. The preliminary step is to entrust Kudumbashree with the duty of identifying the slums which would come under the pilot project in each city. The next step is to conduct pilot surveys to analyse the socio-economic conditions and prepare geographical mapping of the areas concerned. For this purpose, Kudumbashree members from these areas are selected and given suitable training.“The harbour area settlement in Thiruvananthapuram has been identified for the pilot project in the city and the survey is in progress,” said Radhakrishna Kurup, Additional  Secretary,  Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, who is in charge of the city’s RAY cell.The pilot project has been completed in Kollam, with 56 colonies being identified as probable centres for development. “Initially, we had identified 102 colonies under the pilot project. But after the survey, only 56 of them were found qualified to be a part of the project. Some ward councillors have expressed their displeasure over this selection. Anyway, the initial report will be ready by mid-September,” said R Lalu, Additional Secretary, Kollam Corporation, who is in charge of the Kollam RAY cell. Four such settlements have been identified in Kozhikode. “The training for Kudumbashree units was completed on Tuesday and the pilot survey commenced on Wednesday. We would be submitting the report by the end of this month,” said M Kunhimohammed, who heads the RAY cell in Kozhikode.Baby Antony, Additional Secretary, Kochi Corporation, said “currently, four colonies have been identified in the city and the district wing of Kudumbashree has been entrusted with the pilot survey.” However, the project is yet to kick off in Thrissur.