BHUBANESWAR: Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra on Tuesday asked the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to expedite construction work of the ongoing affordable housing projects (AHPs) in the city to improve the lives of slum-dwellers.
Handing over allotment letters to around 116 AHP beneficiaries on the day, Mahapatra said the projects, equipped with basic amenities, will offer a better living condition to the urban homeless.
“Plans are underway to construct 2,600 houses on 20 acre land in Chandrasekharpur mouza. Of these, 820 houses have already been completed and 737 allotted to eligible beneficiaries. The remaining 1,863 houses will be distributed in phases,” the minister informed.
Mahapatra further informed that 1,200 houses are under development on an 8.18 acre plot in Nilamadhav Awas project near Care Hospital. Construction of 960 houses has been completed with 543 of them already allotted to beneficiaries. The remaining 657 houses will be allocated in subsequent phases, he said.
At Barunei Enclave in Subudhipur, all 342 planned houses have been constructed, and 28 handed over to eligible recipients. The redevelopment of the Keshari Residency slum in Satyanagar is under progress on 10 acre of land, Mahapatra said. Out of the targeted 1,300 houses, 560 have been completed and 454 families have received their allotments. The remaining 846 houses will be allocated in phases, the minister said.
The house allotment is being carried out transparently through a lottery system in the presence of independent observers, said BDA vice-chairman N Thirumala Naik.