PNS|Vijayawada
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the officials to ensure high quality in the construction of houses in Jagananna Colonies using the 36 labs already established across the State for testing cement, steel and bricks.
At a review meeting on housing held here on Friday, the Chief Minister said owning a house was a dream of the people and construction of quality houses only would keep them happy.
While efforts should be made to provide basic infrastructure like water, electricity and drainage on a priority basis in completed layouts, village and ward secretariats should play a crucial role in their maintenance, he said.
When the officials told him that the construction of houses for 30,000 people had been delayed due to court cases in various districts, he directed them to take immediate steps for land acquisition to distribute house sites for them. The officials informed him that they had already selected alternative lands for two layouts in Prakasam and Anantapur districts because of the pending cases in courts.
The Chief Minister also took stock of the construction of TIDCO houses and said that the government spent Rs.8,734 crore on their construction and providing basic infrastructure in the last three-and-a-half years while the expenditure was only Rs. 8,015 crore during the five-year TDP rule. He said that beneficiaries availed of Rs. 10,339-crore benefit additionally as the government had also given them 300-square-feet houses free of cost after waiving off their contribution.
This apart, the government has also provided a subsidy worth Rs. 482crore in the contributory payment of beneficiaries for the houses being built in 365 and 430 square feet.
The government has also spent Rs 1,200 crore by waiving the registration charges, he said, adding that the total expenditure spent on TIDCO houses so far reached Rs. 20,745 crore.
The Chief Minister further said that the government was spending a whopping Rs 1,05, 886.61 crore on construction of houses for the poor, including the Rs. 32,909 crore spent on basic infrastructure like water, drainage and electricity, Rs. 3,117crore for initiating the works, Rs 13,780crore for supplying free sand and equipment at low cost, Rs 17,132.78 crore for government land of 28,554.64 acres distributed for the poor, Rs 15,364.50 crore spent on acquiring 25,374.66 acres of land for distribution of house sites, Rs 12,405 crore for house sites distributed to the poor in Visakhapatnam and Rs11,200.62 crore for the 13,425.14 acres distributed.
In total, the government has so far distributed 71,811.49 acres of land worth Rs 56,102.91 crore to the poor and its total worth is Rs 56,102.91 crore. The entire amount spent on construction of houses so far is Rs 1,05,886.61 crore.
Housing Minister Jogi Ramesh, Municipal Administration Minister Audimulapu Suresh, AP State Housing Corporation Chairman D. Dorababu, TIDCO Chairman J. Prasanna Kumar, Chief Secretary Dr. K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Special Chief Secretaries Y. Sri Lakshmi (MA&UD) and Ajay Jain (Housing), Finance Secretary KVV Satyanarayana, Special Secretary (Housing) Mohammad Deewan, APSHC MD G. Lakshmi Shah, AP TIDCO MD Ch. Sridhar, Mines and Geology Director V.G. Venkata Reddy, Town Planning Director R.J. Vidyullata and other officials attended the review meeting.
