₹260 crore sought to develop 50 slums as part of golden jubilee: Zameer Ahmed

Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan said he has urged the Chief Minister to sanction ₹260 crore to adopt and develop 50 slums as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka Slum Development Board.

Replying to Congress member K. Govindaraj in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (March 18), the Minister said the Chief Minister has assured that funds will be provided in the supplementary Budget.

Mr. Ahmed said he had also reached out to companies such as Wipro and Infosys to mobilise Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for slum development.

He said 3,325 slums have been identified across the State, of which 2,866 are officially notified. At present, only ₹50 crore is allocated for their development and provision of basic infrastructure, which he said is inadequate.

“In view of this, a proposal has been submitted to enhance the allocation to at least ₹500 crore,” he said.

The Minister added that over the past seven years, works to provide 794 basic amenities have been taken up in 1,210 slums at an estimated cost of ₹408.28 crore.