KOCHI: Launched by Greater Cochin Development Authority to rehabilitate P&T Colony residents, the Mundamveli housing project has picked up momentum in the past few months.Officials plan to complete the work within 11 months, before the widening of the Thevara-Perandoor Canal under the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System scheme
For long, the residents of P&T Colony have been dreaming of a safe shelter that guards them against epidemic diseases, besides the stench from Thevara-Perandoor Canal. Lending an ear to their pleas, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has finally got the ball rolling in its proposed housing scheme for slum dwellers at Mundamveli.
“We have completed the construction of the borewell and finished the preliminary test piling. The main piling will start in the coming days and we have set a deadline of 324 days to wrap up the project involving the construction of 82 flats for P&T Colony inmates,” said V Saleem, GCDA chairman.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for the housing project on July 31, 2018. The project, being implemented under the state government’s Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission, will also receive I1.5 lakh support from the Union government’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for each unit.
Welcoming the move, Murugan V, a resident of the colony, said, “We have been waiting to hear the positive news for long. As most of us have been struggling to survive in these adverse conditions, rehabilitation will be a boon for all. Once completed, we will be able to sleep soundly without the fear of flooding from the nearby canal.”
Echoing the same, Lalitha R, another resident, said, “Many residents are bedridden or ailing. Though the rehabilitation location is far from the city, we are happy to leave our miseries behind.” The proposed four-storey housing project, with an estimated cost of I15.845 crore, aims to accommodate more than 275 individuals from 82 families of the colony. The project will set aside 400 sq ft for each household. Eighty-two two-bedroom apartments will be built in two complexes.
Earlier, FACT-RCF Building Products Ltd, the contracting firm of the project, had shut down its operations due to debt repayment issues. Later, GCDA awarded the project to Thrissur District Labour Contract Society through a tender process.
Proposed project
The proposed four-storey housing project aims to accommodate more than 275 individuals from 82 families of the Colony. The project will set aside 400 sq ft for each household. Eighty-two two-bedroom apartments will be built in two complexes