NALGONDA: For 25 impoverished nomadic families from the Vaddera community, who have lived under tarpaulin sheets for over a decade, the dream of owning a home is finally coming true. These families are among 107 beneficiaries in Telakantigudem village, selected under the new state government’s Indiramma Housing Scheme.
Telakantigudem, a small village with just 300 houses and a population of 1,176, has long struggled with housing shortages. Over a hundred residents remain without permanent homes. The Vaddera families settled here about 10 years ago on government land, building makeshift shelters and enduring years of hardship, which included rains, floods, scorching heat and the constant threat of snakes and scorpions.
Despite changes in governments and local representatives since the formation of Telangana, their living conditions remained unchanged. That has now begun to shift under the leadership of Chief Minister
A Revanth Reddy, who launched the Indiramma Housing Scheme to provide homes to the most marginalised. In the scheme’s first phase, Telakantigudem was sanctioned 107 houses, including all 25 Vaddera families. Their joy is evident as construction begins.
Renuka Komarraju, a stone-breaker and mother of two, said: “We’ve lived under a tarpaulin sheet on government land for 10 years. When it rains or storms, we run home from work to fix our hut. We applied many times for a double-bedroom house but never got it. This time, the government sanctioned us a house on the same land. We’ve already finished the basement and received `1 lakh from the government. It has reached roof level now. This monsoon, we won’t have to worry. We can finally go to work in peace.”
Shobha Rani, a postgraduate beneficiary who works as a daily wage labourer, said, “Our old hut burned down, and we’ve lived in one room at my brother’s house for 12 years. When I heard about the Indiramma scheme, I applied and was sanctioned a house. We’ve begun construction and received `1 lakh after completing the basement. For us, this is a lifelong dream coming true.”
Interestingly, many of the beneficiaries are building their homes on government land. In three locations across Telakantigudem, clusters of Indiramma houses are rising — 22 in one spot, eight in another — while others are constructing on their own plots.