70,000 houses for the poor in five years

The TNSCB is building 384 apartments at Vannarapettai at a cost of ₹32.31 crore

About 70,000 urban homeless poor and families from weaker sections without permanent houses would get affordable houses in Tiruchi over the next five years under the Prime Minister’s Housing for All Scheme.

The requirement was assessed based on a demand survey and also applications received from the needy. The demand would be fulfilled by 2022, said Collector K. Rajamani here. Speaking to reporters after inspecting a Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance tenement for urban poor coming up at Vannarapettai in the city on Friday, Mr. Rajamani said the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) was engaged in executing the Housing for All project in municipalities and corporations. Apart from construction of tenements for homeless poor, subsidy is provided under another component of beneficiary-led construction wherein the benefits already own land but do not have a proper house.

The TNSCB is currently building about 384 apartments at Vannarapettai at a cost of ₹32.31 crore for people from economically weaker sections.

Each of the flat would have a plinth area of 402.96 square feet. For the first time outside Chennai, the apartment blocks are built in blocks of ground plus seven floors. The apartments would have elevators, apart from other amenities. The houses would be built within 18 months.

The cost of each apartment was ₹6.50 lakh and beneficiaries are required contribute ₹2.50 lakh. To help beneficiaries, ₹2 lakh is arranged by way of bank loans and they need to contribute only ₹50,000 by themselves.

This apart, about 685 apartments built at a cost of ₹46.35 crore at Peechankulam in the city was ready to be handed over to the beneficiaries.

The apartments were built to replace older tenements which have suffered damages, having been built in 1962-63 by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board. Construction of another 512 more apartments in ground plus three floor blocks at Nagamangalam MGR Nagar was nearing completion. The project was sanctioned at a cost of ₹32.78 crore.

Similarly about 160 old houses built at Duraisamypuram by the TNSCB in 1996 were demolished and construction of new houses was under way at a cost of ₹10.32 crore.

All necessary basic amenities were being provided for the tenements. Works on construction of 64 apartments at Jailpettai, at a cost of ₹8.05 crore, is set to begin soon.

A proposal for construction of 528 apartments at Irungalur at a cost of ₹38.58 crore has been forwarded to the government.

Work on construction of 1,294 houses under the beneficiary-led construction component, were under progress in different parts of the city. About 101 houses in Manapparai municipal limits, 172 in Thuvakudi and 66 in Thuraiyur were under progress, said Suresh Kumar, Executive Engineer, TNSCB, Tiruchi.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/70000-houses-for-the-poor-in-five-years/article19746034.ece