The civic body has failed to acquire land to set up 9,000 dwelling units spread over six sites along the EM Bypass. Since complexes are to be constructed at the site of the present slums, the slum-dwellers are demanding an alternative site before they give up their land. Residents of Hatgachia bustee including Qutub Aibak, a rickshaw-puller and Mumtaz Begum, a domestic help, are against the land acquisition. “The KMC should provide us an alternative land to relocate when the project begins. Where we will we go otherwise?” asked Aibak, who had protested against the entry of the civic body officials in Hatgachia in February.

While the work order was issued months ago, the construction work has started at only two out of the six sites. The project has faced tough resistance from the people in the slums of Hatgachia, Kacharipara, Anandanagar and Jalpara.

The project, funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), had started eight months ago. A team of KMC’s town planning department had visited Indore, Mumbai and Bhopal, where similar housing complexes have been constructed.

“In Indore and Bhopal, the dwelling units extend horizontally on the outskirts of the city. Owing to shortage of space, we plan to construct five-storied complexes here,” said a senior engineer of the department.

A survey has concluded that the total land area needed for constructing 9000 dwelling units —— each unit complete with a bedroom, living space, kitchen and bathroom —— is more than 36 acres. But the KMC has not been able to acquire even 30 per cent of the land. The civic body officials are being prevented even from conducting survey work in areas such as Anadanagar, Jalpara, Kacharipara. Fearing political turmoil, the contractors are also reluctant to consider the Hatgachia and Kacharipara projects.

In Garden Reach and Rajarghat, where acquisition is not an issue, the construction of the model dwelling units is running smoothly.

A five-storied building is coming up on a three-acre plot of land in Garden Reach’s Gandhi Marg area. This plot belonged to the civic body and was vacant for several years. The Rajarghat project is coming up on a vacant 6-acre plot, at a stone’s throw from the five-star hotel ITC Sonar Bangla. While the former project can accommodate 320 families, the latter Rajarghat project has the potential to house at least 1,000 families.

If the civic body finds a solution to the land acquisition problem and begins the construction at the remaining four sites, Rs 200 crore more can be released under the JNNURM for construction of another 10,000 units to replace the slums in central Kolkata.