Housing Housing Shortage In Bombay According to Mr. D. K. Kunte, Chairman of the Maharashtra Housing Board, over 300,000 tenements are needed for housing over 1,300,000 persons now without shelter in Bombay city. In a city where land prices were fabulous, water shortage acute, and traffic bottlenecks frequent, the only solution lay in abandoning the "island-mindedness'', said Mr. Kunte. The immediate implementation of the scheme linking Bombay with Uran and the construction of the trans-Thana Creek bridge would provide an eastward outlet to the city. The city must move eastward if the slupendous problem of housing in Bombay city was to be solved. Mr. Kunte said that, apart from the Railways and a few industries, others had not paid sufficient attention to provide houses for their employees. There were 1,75,000 Central Government employees, 80,000 municipal servants and 40,000 State Government employees, but none of the agencies had given a serious thought to build houses for them and set a "good example for others." He strongly advocated the utilisation of the waters of the three rivers over which the Tatas had built power stations. "This will provide ample water to the people moving to the Uran areas". He suggested that the Government should take over the non-agricultural land in Uran and freeze its price. With plenty of water and power and sufficient room for transport movement, the area was bound to develop fast and ease the congestion in the city. Mr. Kunte also suggested that satellite towns should be developed in the suburban areas and industries diffused for solving transport and residential problems. Mr. Kunte said he would welcome applications from people who instead of paying "pugree", would like to advance money to the Housing Board for constructing houses. The Board would consider taking up such an activity. Federations Of Housing Cooperitives The Working Group on Housing Co-operatives favours the setting up of federations of cooperative societies in all States, to provide guidance and give technical assistance to member societies. The federation can also handle bulk-buying of building material. The Working Group, which met in New Delhi recently, said that most of the States had suggested that an apex society be set up at the State level: "The States are of the view that this will ensure that provisions made for housing cooperatives are used effectively". The Working Group feels that 20 to 25 per cent of the allocations made for be set apart by State housing should Governments for cooperatives. Also, they should prepare plans for building houses in the cooperative sector. The Group recomclosely associated with the housing programmends that in Villages, panchayats should be mes. In every State there is need to acquire land for Housing Cooperatives. Company Town's Housing There are 13,875 quarters and bungalows in Jamsehdpur town, belonging to the TISCO (Tata Iron & Steel Company), and 7,734 holdings leased out for private construction of buildings of which 3,935 were given to the employees for residential purposes. In addition 618 quarters are now being constructed at Baridih and about 75 flats for supervisory staff are under contemplation. About 1,682 quarters have also been taken from the Bihar Government at Adityapur and Aaghbera for employees. Despite all this there. is still a scarcity of accommodation in the steel city. Rs. 100 Crore Construction Progamme seven The Union Ministry of Works, Housing and Rehabilitation has prepared a year plan to meet the shortage of office accommodation and residential houses for Central Government employees in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. PROVISION for third five year plan! Tons of grains go to the warehouse for storage a land that has smiled. But to yield its harvest land needs water, abundant, timely. This is where KIRLOSKAR DIESEL ENGINES play their major role driving pumps that lift water from river and well, brook and lake, to grow plenty of food year after year. Perfected over the years, known the world over for quality and reliability, these engines are helping grow more food, fight famines, and solve the major problem of hunger, in the Third Five Year Plan. Horticulture FOURTEENTH VANMAHOTSAVA The 14th Van Mahotsav Week was inaugurated in Delhi on July 1 by the Mayor Nuruddin Ahmed with the planting of a mango sapling in a municipal primary school. The ceremony set off a comprehensive programme of the Delhi Administration to plant more than 40,000 trees in the Union Territory. This will cover an area of about 650 acres. Trees will be planted on wastelands, roadsides, on both sides of railway tracks and on the Ridge. Since the beginning of the Vanmahotsav Week in 1950, the Forest Department of Delhi Administration has planted 3,50,000 trees in the Union Territory on an area of more than 6,000 acres. Out of these, 18.7 lak trees have survived. Union Ministers, members of the Diplomatic Corps and members of Parliament were among those who planted 350 saplings of mangoes and peaches inthe Delhi Zoological Park on July 2 in connection with the Vanmahotsava celebrations. Inaugurating the celebrations, Union Minister for Food and Agriculture M. S. K. Patil, said that love for trees and animals had to be created in the people by persuasion. There should be clubs like Friends of Trees in Bombay, all over the country, he said. Dr. Ram Subhag Singh, Minister for Agriculture, said that it was a matter of satisfaction that 70 percent of the trees planted last year had survived. Friends of the Trees is a fellowship of tree lovers seeking to create and foster a tree sense in India. Mr. S. K. Patil, Union Minister for Food and Agriculture, is its President. Adopt-a-tree Campaign In reply, Mr. Ray has stated that the response to his campaign has been encouraging but not overwhelming. "I expected that citizens from all parts of Calcutta would come forward in large numbers to take advantage of this offer- "Unfortunately, the response from the older part of the city has been disappointing. The largest number of requests for planting trees has been received from newly developed or developing parts of the city", Mr. Ray says. Bombay's Roadside Trees Bombay city boasts of some 16,000 roadside trees and some of the finest avenues, notably Mayo Road Cruikshank Road in downtown Bombay and Laksmee Napoo Road in the north. The municipal authorities, however, have come to the conclusion that large trees are unsuited for the city's soil and unsafe in rainy weather. Every year about 100 trees are uprooted in the rainy season. In the replacement (Continued on page 59 ) |