Hyderabad: Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the government was continuing Indiramma housing progress and would complete pending houses while allocating vacant units to eligible poor families.
He made the statement on Wednesday in the Assembly while replying to questions raised by 22 legislators on Indiramma houses and double-bedroom housing schemes.
The minister said the Congress had a record of fulfilling the dream of house ownership for the poor. He recalled that under former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, 21 lakh houses were constructed before State bifurcation.
He said the present government continued the same effort and treated housing as a matter of dignity for the poor.
Indiramma housing progress includes completion of stalled 2BHK units
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the previous government sanctioned over two lakh houses and allocated one lakh units in GHMC limits. However, 78,861 houses remained without basic amenities, while 21,838 units stopped at foundation level.
He said the current government completed 26,000 pending double-bedroom houses in GHMC limits after allocating Rs 738 crore for infrastructure.
The minister said 23,500 houses were allotted through a lottery before the 2023 elections. However, around 12,000 units remained vacant as beneficiaries found them far from their workplaces.
He said officials held three review meetings with district collectors and senior officers to resolve the issue. Beneficiaries were given notices to occupy houses within two months.
If they failed to move in, he said the government would allot those houses to eligible poor families living within a 5 to 10 km radius.
Indiramma housing progress targets new construction and allotments
The minister said the previous government had cancelled funds meant for infrastructure in 2017. In contrast, the current government sanctioned Rs 784 crore and spent about Rs 432 crore on basic facilities.
He said the government approved 4.5 lakh houses in the first phase. Out of these, 12,000 units were earmarked for Chenchu communities, while 1,200 additional houses were allotted in ITDA constituencies.
He said around 1.12 lakh Indiramma houses would be completed by March 31, with housewarming ceremonies planned. Another one lakh houses would be completed by June.
He added that the second phase of Indiramma housing would begin by the end of April. In GHMC limits, 14 to 15 locations had already been identified for new construction.
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said shops in 2BHK colonies would be auctioned. The revenue would be deposited jointly by colony committees and government representatives. Interest earned would fund electricity, lifts and maintenance.
He said old contractors would be reassigned pending works if they agreed to earlier rates. Otherwise, beneficiaries would receive funds directly to complete construction.
The minister said Indiramma committees would be headed by sarpanches and function without political bias. Beneficiary selection, he said, would depend only on eligibility.
He added that the government was considering giving representation to MLAs in the future. A toll-free number would also be introduced soon to resolve housing issues raised by public representatives.
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the initiative aligned with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s goal of ensuring no poor family remained without a house in Telangana. He said seeing beneficiaries enter their completed homes was the biggest satisfaction for a public representative.
He warned that leaders might escape criticism for inaction, but people would not forget if they were misled with false promises.