Vadodara: BJP MLA seeks vacant houses for flood-hit under

A BJP MLA from Vadodara in Gujarat has written to Chief Minister Anandi Patel requesting her to provide tenements, constructed under various Central schemes but are currently lying vacant, to those people whose houses have suffered extensive damage in heavy rains recently.
"Heavy rain and floods had wreaked a havoc in many parts of Vadodara and affected people who are in need of help as they have lost all their belongings in devastating flood. More than 200 slums, housing about 1.50 lakh people, suffered heavy damages due to this flood and rains," said Yogesh Patel who represents Manjalpur Assembly constituency.

In his letter to chief minister, Patel said, "There are many houses built under Central schemes like Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Rural Mission (JNNURM), but are lying vacant and could be given to the affected people."
Interestingly, JNNURM was one of the flagship schemes of erstwhile Manmohan Singh government at Centre and is meant to improve the quality of life and infrastructure in cities.
Flanked by BJP MLAs Jitendra Sukhadiya and Rajendra Trivedi from Raopura and Sayajigunj Assembly constituencies, respectively, Patel said that flood-affected people, who have no place to stay and live, should be allowed to move into these houses.

Over two lakh people were affected due to river water inundating the residential areas mostly in western parts of the city earlier this month, with Panigate, Karlibaugh, Mandvi, Sayajiganj and Munjhmahuda being worst-hit.
"I have also requested the chief minister to make some alternative arrangement by deputing officials to assess the losses so that people could get their houses and other damaged property repaired. The affected people whose houses, land and cattle yards had been damaged were not given any certificates of loss and consequently the relief distribution had been held up," Patel said.
The legislator said that he has demanded deepening of Ajwa lake in the city for storage of more water to avoid any flood-like situation during monsoon.