Thursday 6 August 2015

Gorakhpur is second largest city after Varanasi in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Municipal Corporation of Gorakhpur has 0 .69 million population inhabited in 70 wards. 31 municipal wards are severely affected by water logging and poor drainage during rains affecting large slum populations, which is roughly 33 per cent of total urban population. 110 slums of small and medium sizes dot urban face of Gorakhpur city without having access to basic amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation to inhabitants.


Having knowledge on various issues among the people living in the area, PGSS in association with Indo-Global Social Service Society - IGSSS has begun new initiative in this year 2015. The programme intends to work with migrant communities from states of Bihar, Assam as well rural households from adjacent districts of Gorakhpur. Roughly 27.7 per cent of urban poor live in slums of Gorakhpur and are from Bihar and 58.7 per cent from adjacent eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh. A sizable 12.7 per cent of urban poor hail from Assam and work exclusively in recycling industry. Over 62 per cent slum households earn livelihoods by pulling cycle rickshaws and 89 per cent work as construction worker in housing sector. Migrant communities in Gorakhpur are mostly flood victims, marginal landholders affected by climate change or are landless agriculture labourers who have come in search of livelihoods.     

  

Project Objectives

  • Empower neighbourhoods and ward committees to participate in planning and implementation of development projects
  • Shelter less poor, disguised and recognized slum dwellers get access to basic amenities and entitlements
  • Improve institutional access and recognition of urban poor for secured housing and livelihoods
  • Skill enhancement of urban poor suited to lead and live dignified life in city     

Expected Results:

  • Equity in access, opportunity and benefit sharing with urban poor
  • Basic amenities, service and entitlements become available to urban poor
  • Secured housing and livelihoods for urban poor
  • Improved employability and opportunity of employment for  urban poor

Major Activities

  • Designing of participatory methodology to identify representative slum/s in city
  • Study of equity in planning and implementation of projects in city  
  •  Sharing of report and sensitization of stakeholders
  • Formation of ward (WC) and neighbourhood committees (NC) in identified municipal wards
  • Fortnightly meeting of NC and WC
  • Capacity building of NC, WC and Ward representatives on preparation of ward/slum development plan
  • Presentation of NC/WC plan for approval by Municipal Corporation
  • Workshop of stakeholders on micro planning
  • Rallies and awareness on urban poverty amelioration scheme of government     
  • Training of selected groups on group enterprise and entrepreneurship development
  • Meeting with bankers, financial institutions and small-scale industry board for leveraging credit and technical support.
  • Training of community institutions on vocational and service industry
  • Awareness building of urban poor on government scheme, programme and standards of services