by Haryananewswire (Balbir)
CHANDIGARH, JULY 24
The Haryana Government has decided to get a model developed for
rehabilitation of slums, prevent further growth of slums and provide
basic facilities to the people in slums in the State for which a
research would be conducted to develop a model.
This was disclosed by Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister,
Haryana, Dr K. K. Khandelwal and Financial Commissioner and Principal
Secretary, Urban Local Bodies, Mr Ram Niwas while interacting with
mediapersons here today. They said that three towns of Faridabad,
Panipat and Rohtak have been chosen for the research projects and the
report of the research would be ready by September next.
It was informed that having provided the facility of free drinking
water, a water tank and a tap free of cost to households of members
belonging to Scheduled Castes, the State Government was now considering
how to extend similar benefit to families living below poverty line in
the State.
Dr Khandelwal, who was accompanied by Financial Commissioner and
Principal Secretary, Urban Local Bodies, Mr Ram Niwas had been to Urban
Service Conference held in Colombo in Sri Lanka recently, said that
Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda is very keen to provide basic
amenities like safe drinking water, toilets, sewerage and solid waste
management to the people in the State. He said that the scheme of
Haryana Government to provide free connection of safe drinking water, a
water tank and a tap free of cost to the families belonging to Scheduled
Castes was highly appreciated in the Urban Service Conference.
The Conference was organized by Jameel Poverty Action Lab, USA in
collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to identify and
evaluate innovative solutions to the problems of inadequate access to
urban water, sanitation and hygiene services in cities in Asia and
Africa, especially in neighbourhoods with concentration of poor
people.
Dr Khandelwal said that in this conference researchers, economists,
political scientists from Harvard University, Brown University, Yale
University, Oxford University, MIT, Cornell University experts and
public administration practitioners from Mexico, Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, Morocco and many others from Africa, Asia and Latin American
countries participated. He said that the participating researchers
included Sharon Barnhardt, Pascalne Dupas, Daniel Bennet and Leo
Feler.Dr Khandelwal and Mr Ram Niwas had participated as practitioners
from India.
Mr Ram Niwas, urged researchers across the globe to take up pragmatic
research in the areas of urban sanitation, water supply, sewerage system
and solid waste management so that research is taken to the urban
masses for their welfare.
Mr Ram Niwas said that Faridabad, Panipat and Rohtak had been chosen to
be developed as a model for poverty alleviation and slum improvement.
Faridabad city has largest slum population of 2.3 lakh. He said that the
J-PAL, the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, has accepted the proposal of
Haryana Government to conduct research to check the problem of slum
dwellers who sell their houses after their rehabilitation and again
develop slums. The State Government has implemented Rajiv Gandhi Urban
Renewal Mission for improvement of slums. He said that the State has
30,000 dry latrines and these are to be converted into sanitary
latrines. The J-PAL has also accepted this challenge to guide the State
Government.
Dr Khandelwal said that keeping in view the high concentration of slums
in towns of Faridabad, Panipat and Rohtak, the State Government wanted
to develop such a complex which would not only have the facility of a
toilet, but also of a shop to facilitate the people in purchasing items
like soap and hair oil. This model would be replicated in the State.
Such projects would be developed keeping in view the problems of the
three specific cities.
He said that Haryana has a total population of 2.53 crore, out of which
33 per cent people live in urban areas. Out of them 24 to 25 per cent
people are living below the poverty line and they all deserved a quality
life. He said that a Randomized Control Technique would be followed for
research for which areas of solid waste management, slum improvement
and how to check growth of slums would be covered.
He said that Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, which is a part of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been conducting research
on alleviation of poverty in coordination with NGOs and Governments. It
is using methods similar to those used in medicine that is systematic,
randomized evaluations to test the effectiveness of anti-poverty
programmes.
Mr Ram Niwas said that the Conference held in Sri Lanka focused on how
to address the problems of implementation of the ongoing schemes of
poverty alleviation and also to provide minimum basic facilities to the
people living in slums. The Haryana Chief Minister is of the view that
every citizen has a right to lead a quality life. Therefore, Mr Hooda
had announced to regularize unauthorized colonies. He said that this
issue of 548 unauthorised colonies was under consideration of the
Government as it was examining their financial and legal implications.
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