CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Housing Board’s move to adopt pre-fab technology to cut down project costs and turn around time has hit a road block, as its proposed 1,500-apartment mega project is yet to take off due to lukewarm response from buyers.
Started with much hype, the TNHB’s plan to construct 1,500 multi-storeyed residential flats in Sholinganallur is yet to receive 1,000 registered applications, the minimum number fixed, before the proposal is to take shape on the ground.
With difficulty in raising minimum initial deposit, work is yet to commence on the Rs 612-crore proposed project that is to come up on 14.41 acres in Sholinganallur.
Pre-fab or prefabrication is the process of manufacturing the components of a structure separately, which are then assembled together either on construction site or brought to the site as sub-assemblies. This relatively new way of construction is popular in many countries, as it cuts construction time by 25 per cent and cost by 10 to 15 per cent.
The project has always had troubles. Sources told City Express that the tender for the work under turnkey basis was awarded to B G Shirke Construction for a value of Rs 329.71 crore, with the condition that the work was to be commenced after receipt of minimum demand for 1,000 flats under self-finance scheme.
However, as against 1,330 applications sold, the Board received only 256 applications. This forced the TNHB to convert it into a hire purchase scheme from the initial plan of self-financing scheme. Even the last date of registration of applications was extended to facilitate more applications, but so far, sources told City Express, only 463 applications have been registered.
According to Durganand Balsavar, principal architect of Artes-Human Settlements Development Collaborative, Chennai, prefab technology will ensure affordable housing. For instance, if an 800 sqft two-bedroom flat at Sholinganallur costs around Rs 30 to 40 lakh when built in the conventional way, prefab technology can reduce the price by about Rs 3-6 lakh.
The Union government should also look at backing local Indian technology to ensure affordable housing rather than imported technology, he said. “We need to look at our century-old building technology which relates to Indian climatic conditions,” the architect said.
“Prefab should ensure the house suits to local conditions and doesn’t consume more energy,” he said.