Slums will be developed as clean residential areas: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat

Claiming that the state government is seriously addressing the problems faced by slum-dwellers in the city, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday said riverfronts will be developed along the banks of the Rispana and Bindal rivers where slums abound and shops will be allocated to poor sections.

Expressing the state government's commitment to redress the problems of the economically weaker sections on "Nirbal Varga Diwas" today, Rawat said the slum areas will be developed as clean residential areas but fresh encroachments will not be allowed.

Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority has been asked to build multi-storey residential buildings for lower income groups. Asserting that the state government is with the poor sections, he said the amount given as pension under different welfare schemes has been doubled from Rs 400 to Rs 800 besides extending the limit of income for eligibility for such schemes from Rs 1000 to Rs 4000.

This has led to a three-fold rise in the number of applicants for these welfare schemes, he said. An elaborate roadmap for urban development is also being drawn up, the chief minister said.
A plan to remove power lines crossing over residential buildings has recently been given clearance.

30 per cent of the expenses over the exercise will be met by the state government, 30 per cent out of the fund of the local legislator concerned and 40 per cent by the power corporation of Uttarakhand, he said.