Collectors asked to initiate drone survey for Slum Dwellers Act

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday asked the district collectors to initiate drone survey and slum mapping for implementation of Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act 2017.

Municipal Administration director Sangramjit Nayak, in a letter, asked the district collectors to hold a meeting with the district and block officials and give permission to the concerned technical agencies selected by Tata Trusts to initiate the drone survey works.

Tata Trusts, which is working with the Housing and Urban Development department, is providing technical support for the implementation of the Act under which land rights will be provided to the slum dwellers in urban local bodies and corporations.

In a first of its kind in the country, the Odisha government on May 7 rolled out a pilot project to give land titles to slum dwellers in Ganjam district.

As a part of the Slum Land Rights Act, the project will benefit a million people residing in 2,500 slums across the state over the next few years.

The beneficiaries in NAC (notified area councils) will get 600 sq ft (square feet) land each, while their counterparts in municipalities will get 400 sq ft of land. However, the beneficiaries in municipal corporation areas will avail 300 sq ft built-up areas for residential purpose.