Chandigarh, January 21: While taking forward the vision of Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi to ensure Housing for all by 2022, Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal today directed to prepare a comprehensive scheme for the rehabilitation of urban slums in the State by providing residential flats to the slum dwellers at affordable prices. To begin with, Faridabad and Gurugram are proposed to be taken up under the scheme. 

The Chief Minister who was presiding over a meeting regarding ‘Housing for All’ here today said that subsequently, the scheme would be rolled out in other big cities of the State too. He said that the State Government’s goal is to provide affordable housing facilities to the entire slum population residing in urban areas of the State. 

The Chief Minister directed that the rehabilitation scheme would be prepared by the Department of ‘Housing for All’. He said that under this scheme, it would be ensured that the sites for the construction of flats are suitably located within the city and the slum dwellers are shifted to residential flats with their consent. He added that there are a large number of slum dwellers in the State who are ready to shift in constructed dwelling units. 

 He directed the landholding departments to conduct a survey to assess the area and number of potential beneficiaries for the scheme. The Chief Minister said that the flats to be constructed under the scheme would be given to the slum dwellers on affordable prices which could be paid by them in installments. He said that the State Government could also arrange loans through banks so as to facilitate payment by the beneficiaries.

Among those present in the meeting included Chief Secretary, Mr Vijai Vardhan, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr D.S Dhesi, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr V. Umashankar, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr Amit Kumar Agrawal, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mrs Ashima Brar, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue Mr Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Local Bodies Mr S.N. Roy, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing Department Mr T.C. Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Development and Panchayats Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Principal Secretary,  Town and Country Planning Department Mr A.K. Singh, Managing Director, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), Mr Anurag Agarwal and other senior officers of the State Government.