Correspondent
KOHIMA, JANUARY 15
Nagaland Urban Development Department is envisaging on making the state slum-free within next few years by implementing the Rajiv Awas Jojana (RAY) under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India (GoI), said state Parliamentary Secretary for Urban Development, Zhaleo Rio. Inaugurating the one-day state level workshop on RAY conducted by the Regional Centre for Urban Environmental Studies (RCUES), Lucknow and Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, GoI, at Hotel Cimorb here today, Zhaleo however lamented that dues to delay in preparation of the Detail Project Reports (DPRs) as well as shortage of manpower in the department, the sanctioning as well as implementation of the project gets delayed.
He also expressed that most of the guidelines of the projects are same for the entire country and it is not being prepared considering the topographic and geographically problems of the region also become a hindrance for the landlocked state like Nagaland to fulfill the guidelines. Guidelines for tribal areas should be different, he opined.
He also expressed that the land holding system in the state is also a major drawback towards successful implementation of some schemes.
Revealing that during the current fiscal, the Department had send DPRs for setting up of working women hostels, construction of rental housing and community buildings to the Central Government, he regretted that till date no projects have been sanctioned.
Zhaleo said that the 2011 Census shows that there has been a drastic decline in the rural population of the state but there has been quantum jump in the decade growth of the urban population.
He attributed the increase to the mass migration from rural areas in search of employment and economic activities.
He expressed the hope that the workshop would help the department officials from almost all the districts would have better knowledge in preparing DPRs and the detailed projects under RAY.
Presentations on the topics – Overview of RAY & Reforms and Community Participation & Social Audit under RAY was made by Senior Expert RCUES, Dr. Urmila Bagga while Assistant Director RCUES Himanshu Chandra shared on “Slum survey & preparation of Slum Free City Plan Of Action (SFCPOA) and preparation of DPR.
SFCPOA is an overall action plan with investment requirements projected and prioritized for upgrading the existing slums and planning for houses for the urban poor for the next 10-15 years.
The SFCPoA is required so that the slums are prioritized for development and funding based on scientific assessments. It is also important as it gives the way forward in terms of quantum of urban poor housing and the corresponding fund required to prevent slums from forming in future.
Additional Director MAC and Nodal Officer, RAY, Dr. Toshimanen Ozukum shared the status of RAY in Nagaland.
