Hyderabad: Telangana Housing Minister P. Srinivas Reddy on Wednesday informed the Legislative Assembly that more than one lakh houses constructed under the Indiramma housing scheme are expected to be completed and handed over to beneficiaries by March 31.
Replying during Question Hour, the Minister said another one lakh houses are targeted for completion by June as part of the government’s housing programme.
He said in the first phase, about 4.50 lakh houses were sanctioned across the state. In addition, around 12,000 houses were approved for tribal communities, including Chenchu families, under the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).
The Minister said approximately 1.12 lakh houses are nearing completion and housewarming programmes are expected to be organised after completion of construction.
He also indicated that the second phase of the Indiramma housing scheme is likely to be taken up from April. Regarding houses sanctioned during the previous government but left incomplete, he said the present government is considering providing funds to complete them, subject to Cabinet approval.
Explaining the selection process, the Minister said Indiramma Housing Committees are being formed at the village level with the Sarpanch acting as chairperson. The committees will identify eligible beneficiaries and forward proposals for scrutiny by the district administration before final approval.
He said the government is also examining the possibility of providing representation to MLAs in these committees in future.
Referring to urban housing, Srinivas Reddy said around 14 to 15 locations have been identified within Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits for construction of houses for the poor. He added that a similar model may be extended to other major towns.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also spoke on the scheme and said the government is expected to spend about Rs 22,500 crore for construction of 4.50 lakh houses, with an average allocation planned across Assembly constituencies.
He said the government’s objective is to ensure housing for eligible poor families and rejected opposition claims that allocations for the scheme had been reduced.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government had conducted constituency-level meetings and received applications as part of the beneficiary identification process.
