GUWAHATI: The number of slums in the city have increased over the past few years, raising serious doubts over the plans of the civic authorities to deal with the problem. A recent survey carried out by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) on slums in the city revealed that in the past three years, the total number of slums in localities under the jurisdiction of the GMC has gone up to 217 from about 90.

As per the previous study on slums and slum dwellers conducted by the GMC in 2009, there were barely 90 slums in Guwahati then. The number of slum dwellers in the city in 2009 was 27,000; in 2012, their population has gone up to 1,39,292.

Significantly, 38 per cent of the slums have been constructed on private land. This can pose a problem for the civic body while implementing new schemes for slum dwellers since apartments to be constructed by the GMC for these people under the Centre's Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) are not permitted to be constructed on private land.

"Most of the slums have come up on private land according to the latest survey carried out by the GMC. We will organise a community participation programme among such people and convince them to vacate the slums and avail the apartments to be built under RAY," said additional commissioner of GMC Mukul Gogoi.

According to the survey, about 34 per cent of the slums have been built on land belonging to state government, while 18 per cent and 7 per cent lie on railway land and public local body land (GMC land) respectively. Two per cent slums have been erected on defence land and other lands, while the ownership of remaining one per slum land is yet to be known. Most of the slums have been found near Dhirenpara area, Inter State Bus Terminal and Fatasil Ambari.

Gogoi added that many land owners are earning good amounts of money as rent from slum dwellers, who will be accommodated in apartments to be built under the RAY scheme.

The GMC has already received Rs 36 lakh from the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation (HUPA) for execution of RAY, a mega scheme for the homeless.