https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

400 Slums Dwellers Become Land Owners in Bikaner

Under the leadership of Collector Bhagwati Prasad Kalal, a 2011-batch IAS officer, the district administration of Bikaner has shifted 400 slum dwellers to a new place. Earlier, these families were living by the roadside of a national highway, but now they have moved in to a residential area in Chak Garbi, near the city. This new place has all basic amenities like water, toilets, community hall, roads, and electricity.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Four hundred slum dwellers in Rajasthan, living near a national highway in squalid conditions, got a new address in a developed area, thanks to the Bikaner district administration. Their new address has all basic amenities like water, electricity, roads and toilets. Earlier, they were living by the roadside, but now these families finally have a proper residential area to call their own.

The slums they were living in earlier, near the national highway, were illegal settlements and were located right at the entrance to the city. In such a situation, it was necessary to remove these slums, but shifting the dwellers out in a respectable manner was also a top priority for the administration. After much deliberations, Chak Garbi was chosen as the place for rehabilitation of these families.

The entire exercise was taken up under the leadership of District Collector of Bikaner, Bhagwati Prasad Kalal, a 2011-batch IAS officer. Indian Masterminds interacted with the officer to get more details.

SHIFTING THE SLUMS

Shifting people living at one place for decades was not an easy task. Hence, District Collector Bhagwati Prasad Kalal started working on this scheme about six months ago and priority was given to take the consent of these families for shifting them to a new place, so that this effort could set an example. Initially, a survey was made, where 279 families were identified, who are residents of Bikaner district but didn’t own residential land anywhere. In the second phase, possible places around the city were identified where they could be shifted.

Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Kalal said, “Five nomadic tribes, namely Pashi, Kanjar, Bhats, Dholi and Nuts, were living in the almost 25-30 year old slum along the highway. About 400 families lived here in very unhygienic conditions. Efforts had been earlier to settle them somewhere else but it was not possible for various reasons, including law and order issues. When I joined six months back, I restarted the process of trying to shift them. It was very difficult to persuade them, but we managed.”

CONVINCING THEM

He said that they started off by searching for land to shift them. Then, several rounds of talks took place with them. One person from each tribe was selected along with some volunteers from outside for the frequent meetings. To convince them, the administration first got the toilets built at the new location where they planned to shift them. Then, water was arranged.

“The land was made habitable, leveling was done. Then, we started motivating the people to move to this new place. After much difficulties and persuasion, we finally managed to shift the 400 families. Each family has been given an individual plot of 15×15 at the new place. Patta (ownership of the plot) is yet to be given as the paper work is still being processed. Now, we will try to help them build houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).”

FACILITIES

The place has all basic amenities like roads, drinking water, toilets, and public lighting. To make the area completely free from defecation and protect the honour of women, public toilets have been built with temporary water tanks. A community hall is also being built for occasions like marriages. The 400 families are happy that they took the decision to shift to their new address at Chak Garbi, a small village near the city, leaving the accident prone area on the Sriganganagar road.

Makhan Lal Sansi, who was living in the slum for the last thirty years, says that he never imagined that he would get such a big gift. He is happy that they will now be able to live in a respectable way. Ranjit Sansi, who lived in the slum for 27 years, expressed gratitude for the state government’s and district administration’s efforts to help the poor.

TAKING OATH

On the occasion of this Independence Day, the District Collector along with all the officials inspected the Chak Garbi area and interacted with the families who recently relocated here. He called for the need to educate the children and keep the adults away from drugs. At the same time, he said that the administration should ensure that the people who are eligible to avail various government schemes of social security get the benefits on a priority basis.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
CM Pushkar Dhami-resized
Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Unveils First Yoga Policy; Bhararisain to Emerge as Global Yoga Capital
IPS Laxmi Singh
UP: IPS Laxmi Singh, Commissioner of Gautam Budh Nagar Police, Cracks Down on Laxity, Suspends Officers over Crime Control Failures
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
Uttar Pradesh to Relocate Forest Dwellers to Curb Human-Wildlife Conflict, Rs. 22 Crore Compensation Package Drafted - All Details Inside
Govt
Uttarakhand Government Transfers PCS Officers Again, New Postings Announced - Check Here
Justice Yashwant Verma
Unidentified Man Spotted Near Burnt Cash Raises New Questions in Justice Yashwant Varma 'Cash-in-Kothi' Case - Know More
Bihar Government-resized-IM
105 Bihar Administrative Service Officers Reshuffled Ahead of Polls - Details Inside
Image Yoga Day NBCC
Yoga Mahakumbh & Meditation Workshop: NBCC Commemorates 11th International Day of Yoga with Holistic Wellness Initiatives
IAS Prasanth N
Controversy Deepens Over IAS Officer Prasanth’s Suspension Extension Despite Panel Clearance
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
Monika Singh
The Civil Servant Who Finds Peace in Poetry
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Ravinder Nandal IDES
IDES Ravinder Nandal's Story of Self-Made Success
Balancing fatherhood, full-time jobs, and six UPSC attempts, Ravinder Nandal’s story is one of perseverance,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
CM Pushkar Dhami-resized
Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Unveils First Yoga Policy; Bhararisain to Emerge as Global Yoga Capital
IPS Laxmi Singh
UP: IPS Laxmi Singh, Commissioner of Gautam Budh Nagar Police, Cracks Down on Laxity, Suspends Officers over Crime Control Failures
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
Monika Singh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT