SURYAPET: Reasserting the state government’s commitment to provide homes to all eligible poor families within two years, Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Wednesday announced that another phase of Indiramma houses would be sanctioned in April.
Inspecting the construction of 2,160 Indiramma houses at Ramaswamy Gutta near Huzurnagar, the minister said that despite financial constraints inherited from the previous government, which he accused of misappropriating Rs 1 lakh crore in the name of the Kaleshwaram project, the present administration sanctioned 4.5 lakh houses in the first phase. He said that Rs 22,500 crore was allocated, with 3,500 houses sanctioned for each constituency.
Srinivasa Reddy said the houses were being allotted to eligible beneficiaries irrespective of political affiliation, caste or religion. Each unit is being built at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, with payments released in phases every Monday. Requests from MLAs to complete houses sanctioned under earlier schemes were also under consideration, he added.
The minister directed officials to develop the Huzurnagar colony as a model township and asked the district collector to complete beneficiary selection by Sankranti. He said construction should be completed by March 31 and instructed that a special officer be appointed to monitor progress.
All basic amenities, including roads, electricity and drinking water, must be provided along with the houses, he said, assuring that approvals for pending works would be granted by December 15 if proposals were submitted on time.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy recalled that he had sanctioned the housing colony in 2012 as minister and alleged that the previous regime stalled it for a decade. He said the project was now being executed on a war footing and would serve as a national model, with facilities such as schools, anganwadis, health centres, community halls and playgrounds.