Three years ago this month, amidst much fan fare, the Karnataka government announced the construction of India’s first eco-friendly ‘model’ slum in Laxmidevanagara, Laggere. But as of January 2008, the 252 houses in the slum stand empty, and authorities have largely forgotten the area.
Forgotten and uninhabited as it is, it has attracted drunks and gangs, according to residents of Laxmidevanagara.
Shop owner and resident Mr. Srinivas said that the doors, windows and pipes of the buildings had been stolen a long time ago, and the bricks in the roof are falling off, he said. These days, mainly drunks and other shady characters inhabit the slum. Last week though, Shivraj Kumar, son of actor Raj Kumar came to shoot for a song-and-dance sequence though, he added proudly.
His neighbour Mr. Sidagangayya added that the only thing the slum has brought to the area is more trouble. There are two security personnel appointed by the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board, but they are ineffective and mostly absent, said residents. They have not been able to stop the looting of doors and windows from the slum, all of which were of premium eco-friendly material, according to Mr. Anil Kumar, deputy chief, Building Materials Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).
Mr. Anil Kumar said, “[the slum] has already been completed for three years. If no one is living then the building will be in bad shape.” He said that it was the responsibility of the Slum Clearance Board to allocate the residents and said that the use of eco-friendly door and windows was rather useless since they have all been looted.The slum in Laggere was supposed to be a model slum to be emulated by other cities in Karnataka. It was built under the centrally sponsored Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) scheme, implemented in Karnataka on January 25, 2001, with the aim of providing shelter to families under the poverty line living in urban slums.
As of January 2007, the units have not been allotted yet. Mr. V. Ashok, Commissioner of the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board said that the units have not been allotted yet because it does not make sense for people to inhabit a place with no water or sewage connection.
It seems that there is no water supply or sewage connection to the slum, and the list of final beneficiaries has not been decided upon. Three commissioners have come and gone, and the project, it seems, has been forgotten in the midst of all the changes.
Mr. Ashok said that he has set up a sub-committee, which will ensure the beneficiaries are decided. He is also undertaking corrections that will be done in 10 days under the auspices of the technical director, he said.
The construction work was entrusted to the BMTPC at a total cost of Rs. 76.20 lakh, and a unit cost of Rs. 60 000.
