Odisha slum dwellers get land right certificates

Bhubaneswar, May 7, 2018: Barely seven months after the
enactment of a historic legislation to grant rights to urban slum dwellers, the
Odisha Government on Monday started distributing land right certificates (pattas)
to them as part of its Slum Land Titling Project.

In the first phase, about 2000 families were given pattas in
a function at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in
the presence of Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata and Norman Foster Foundation
President Lord Norman Foster.

Traditionally, viewed as encroachers, Odisha in a pioneering
move has recognised their right to a dignified life and launched a mission to
convert slums to liveable habitats, with techinal support from Tata Trusts. This
project will benefit one million people or over 2.60 lakh households residing
in 2,500 slums across the State in the next one year, and will probably be the
largest project of its kind in the world.

In the first phase, slum dwellers of three Notified Area
Councils (NACs) in Berhampur along with Konark NAC got houses under Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and land rights (Record of Rights or Patta) under the
Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2017 on Monday.

The Chief Minister granted land rights to slum dwellers of
Konark NAC and give away work orders under PMAY.