By IANS,
Bangalore: The Karnataka government Saturday announced a series of welfare measures for Bangalore’s poor and promised better roads and other facilities for the residents ahead of upcoming civic polls.
Balloting for the 198-member Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (Greater Bangalore City Corporation) are scheduled for Feb 21.
Over half a million slum dwellers, poor Scheduled Castes/Tribes and over 100,000 auto drivers will get health insurance, illegal slums will be regularized, roads will be repaired and around 700,000 unauthorized buildings will be regularized on payment of a penal fee, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced after a meeting with ministers belonging to Bangalore, party legislators from the city and senior officials.
The government will soon promulgate an ordinance to regularize the unauthorized residential and commercial buildings, he told reporters.
The state is estimated to have around 1.5 million (15 lakh) unauthorized structures, of which around 700,000 are in Bangalore alone.
The government hopes to earn around Rs.10,000 crore (Rs.100 billion) from the penal fee for getting the structures regularized. Bangalore alone is expected to generate around Rs.5000 crore.