HYDERABAD: The Congress government is aiming to fast-track the completion of at least 1 lakh houses out of the more than 3.6 lakh units sanctioned under its flagship Indiramma Housing Scheme, in a move seen as an effort to showcase its performance and contrast it with the previous regime.
Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress had promised that it would not seek votes in villages where Indiramma houses had not been provided. Now in power, the government is accelerating construction under the scheme in a bid to fulfil that commitment. The progress is also expected to feature prominently in the upcoming MPTC and ZPTC elections.
Officials have been asked to identify houses in the final stages of construction and expedite the remaining works to ensure completion by June. Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has directed authorities to ensure the supply of essential construction materials, including bricks, to beneficiaries to avoid delays. He has also suggested fixing a common date to inaugurate the completed houses.
Under the scheme, the state government is providing financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for each housing unit.
The incumbent government has also drawn comparisons with the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) administration. During its tenure, around 2,92,938 double-bedroom houses were sanctioned, but only a little over half were completed. Srinivasa Reddy has repeatedly said that about 1.5 lakh houses were constructed during the BRS rule, and many of them remain unoccupied.
He has also announced that the pending works under the double-bedroom housing programme will be completed and the houses allotted to eligible beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing to roll out the second phase of the Indiramma Housing Scheme, under which additional houses will be sanctioned. Priority in the next phase is expected to be given to families currently living in thatched houses.