Eminent Architects Meet Odisha CM Over Slum Development

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met eminent architects from Norman Foster Foundation (NFF) at the State Secretariat here on Monday.

The NFF is collaborating with the Odisha government, Housing and Urban Development Department and Tata Trusts to design and develop master plans for slums under Odisha Livable Habitat Mission.

Welcoming the architect team, the Chief Minister expressed pleasure for the timely support from Norman Foster Foundation and Tata Trusts.

“The project has been well accepted by slum dwellers and community leaders. This largest slum land-titling project will benefit a million individuals, with promises to provide self-respect and freedom from the perpetual fear of eviction,” he added.

In May 2018, Lord Norman Foster, the Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, and industrialist Ratan N Tata attended launching of Jaga Mission and committed to support this ambitious slum upgradation programme.

Recently, the state government had distributed land title and work order for houses to more than 10,000 slum dwellers at a special programme in Puri.

Besides, land tenure and housing support, these families will also get all essential civic services like access to pipe water, toilet, road, drain, street light and improvement of community places under Jaga Mission.

NFF Director Hernan  Kraviez informed that their team would visit three sites for developing models of in-situ and green field development. Intensive community consultation and participatory planning exercises will be organised to develop master  plan and the design of the slum space to holistic livable habitat.