Hyderabad, May 17: Hyderabad is not the only place in the State where urban wealth co-exists with slums.
There are 36 cities and towns in the State, including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada with a population of over 50,000 slum-dwellers.
Of the total 189 cities and towns with slum populations of 50,000 and over, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of cities and towns in the category, followed by Maharashtra with 26, Uttar Pradesh with 25, West Bengal with 21 and Madhya Pradesh with 15.
The number of cities and towns with sizeable numbers of the urban poor in some other States are: Haryana 8, Chhattisgarh 6, Gujarat and Rajasthan 5 each. Goa and Kerala, along with all the northeastern States, barring Meghalaya, figure among States without slums of 50,000 plus.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation released the data recently as per a slum survey conducted under Urban Statistics for HR and Assessments (USHA) scheme based on 2001 Census data. The survey was conducted to identify slums and take up the housing programmes under the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) programme of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM) and the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP).
Both the programmes are aimed at improving living conditions of slum-dwellers across the nation. While JNNURM will provide funds to the States for creating housing and infrastructure for the urban poor in 65 cities across the country, the remaining 124 towns are funded under the IHSDP.
As per the Census data of 2001, about 30 per cent of the 2.5 crore urban population in the State lives in slums.
“The State will get funds for all 36 cities and towns, including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and other major municipal corporations and municipalities under these schemes. The components for assistance include provision of basic services to the urban poor including improved housing, water supply and sanitation,’’ the officials in the Municipal Administration and Urban Development said.
–Agencies