Construction of 15 lakh houses will give big boost to economy: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy

Jagan also alleged that TDP leaders and their associates were behind the court cases that came as an impediment to the distribution of house sites to the poor.
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Photo| EPS)
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Photo| EPS)

VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that the construction of 15.60 lakh houses for the poor in the first phase will give a big boost to the economy, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday alleged large-scale corruption in the housing scheme of the previous TDP regime.

Jagan also alleged that TDP leaders and their associates were behind the court cases that came as an impediment to the distribution of house sites to the poor.

Replying to a short discussion on ‘Navaratnalu-housing for the poor’ on the second day of the winter session of the Assembly on Tuesday, Jagan said his government went for reverse tendering for 63,744 flats out of the 2.62 lakh started by the previous TDP regime. 

“In December 2019, we went for reverse tendering for the 63,000-odd flats. The value of construction was pegged at Rs  3,239 crore, but we could finalise tenders for Rs 2,447 crore by reverse tendering. By this, we could save Rs 392 crore, which shows the corruption involved in the housing scheme by the previous government. If we could save Rs 392 crore for 60,000-odd houses, imagine the corruption involved in the construction of the remaining 1.90 lakh houses. Where had all the money gone?’’ he asked and wondered whether the scheme was meant to benefit the poor or the contractors.

Playing the videos of his poll campaign, his manifesto and also the model of the houses to be constructed by his government, the Chief Minister said while the previous government constructed houses in 224 sq ft, his government will construct houses in 340 sq ft with a kitchen, living room, bed room, verandah, toilet apart from providing two fans, two tube lights, four bulbs and a Sintex water tank.

The economy will witness a major boost as 69.70 lakh metric tonnes of cement, 7.44 lakh MT of steel, 310lakh MT of sand and others will be used apart from providing direct employment to the tune of 21.70 crore man-days and 10 crore man-days’ indirect employment.

Jagan said a mere 6.03 lakh houses were constructed during the TDP regime. Apart from these, 2 lakh odd houses sanctioned before 2014 were constructed.

“AP stood at 24th rank in the performance index of the Ministry of Urban Housing Affairs in 2017-18 and this reflects the performance of the previous government with respect to housing for the poor,’’ he pointed out.

Jagan cited the examples of TDP leaders from Prakasam, East Godavari, Anantapur, Kurnool and Vizianagaram districts and even the CPI leaders, at the behest of the TDP, going to courts to stall the distribution of house sites to the poor.

“The Left party, which raised no objections when lands were taken for Amaravati under the Land Pooling Scheme, found fault when we adopted the same in Visakhapatnam,’’ he said.

Sidelights

Naidu’s vrat 
Ridiculing Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu for his absence in AP for more than six months, Minister for Animal Husbandry S Appalaraju said TDP chief was on a vrat not to come to the State in view of corona pandemic. “Yesterday, by squatting in the well of the House, he broke his vrat, so he was reluctant to rush to podium today, fearing Corona.”

MLA as ‘shield’ 
Taking exception to the lone Dalit MLA in TDP being pushed to the forefront of the protest by TDP members in the well of the House, deputy chief minister K Narayanaswamy said that MLA should understand by now that the TDP is an enemy of Dalits. He demanded a debate on who did what for Dalits

Guinness record 
YSRC MLA K Parthasarathy said the name of the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy should enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the Chief Minister is providing house sites and houses to 30 lakh poor

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