Bhubaneswar, May 26: The municipal corporation has identified 320 slums that have encroached on 400 acres of government land in various parts of the city.

The encroachment is not only a hurdle in executing infrastructure projects but is also inconveniencing city dwellers since most of these slums have come up close to government quarters.

The civic body's record says there are 436 slums in the city that houses a population of more than three lakhs. These slums occupy nearly 693 acres in various parts of the city and of those around 400 acres is government land.

"We have formed a special central eviction monitoring committee to handle the job. The committee has the power to make requisition and go for demolition at any given point. We are evicting them in a phased manner," said an official of housing and urban development department.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena admitted that eviction was not an easy task, but it would be carried out since these slums had been constructed illegally and have occupied valuable government land.

"We are in the process of constructing affordable houses for the dwellers," said Jena.

Sources said while the people living in the slums authorised by the civic body would be rehabilitated in the proposed affordable housing projects, inhabitants of the unauthorised slums would be evicted without rehabilitation.

The slum dwellers, however, are mobilising themselves to oppose the government move. Basti Suraksha Manch president Pratap Sahu said the poor people also had the right to live in this city.

"No city can sustain without people like us. We carry out important work for the rich and without us, they won't be able to enjoy quality life," said Sahu.

He said the rich get their work done by those living in slums but when it comes to providing accommodation, the poor are denied.

"We are poor people. We can't afford bigger homes. This is why we are forced to live in such unhealthy and unhygienic conditions. It is the duty of the city administration to provide us with houses and if they can't do that, don't evict us. We are not going to allow this to happen," he said.

Several projects, including a proposed smart road network at Chandrasekharpur, expansion of the city airport and construction of a heritage corridor at Siripur, have been halted due to such encroachment on government land by slum dwellers.

On the other hand, the administration has decided to construct three affordable housing projects at Chandrasekharpur and another along Janpath.