Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed officials to expedite land allotment to slum dwellers under the Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission programme.

A law had been enacted in October to grant land rights to the urban slum dwellers and an MoU was signed with Tata Trust in March to extend technical assistance for it.

Naveen had distributed land patta to 2,000 inhabitants of 46 slums of nine urban local bodies on May 7.

Under the programme, a target has been set to provide land rights to 1.8 lakh families of 1,922 slums in all urban local bodies across Odisha.

Survey to identify the beneficiaries with help of drones has been complete in 99 slums. The work will be done by August 31, the meeting was told.