Hyderabad: Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Monday laid the foundation for the Indiramma Towers scheme near Malkam Cheruvu in Raidurgam. He held the Revenue, Housing and Information and Public Relations portfolios.
The project aimed to give poor urban families homes closer to where they already lived. The work began in the Serilingampally Assembly constituency. Srinivasa Reddy said the plan followed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s aim of housing poor families near their present areas.
He said the government did not want to move poor families far outside Hyderabad. Instead, it chose costly city locations for the new homes. The minister said the Indiramma Towers scheme aimed to give poor families a home with dignity. He said the goal went beyond giving them four walls and a roof.
Srinivasa Reddy said land in several parts of Hyderabad carried very high values. Even so, the government chose such areas for poor families, he said. He said an acre in some places was worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Therefore, giving homes there would offer families both security and long-term value, he added.
Indiramma Towers scheme included ownership rights
The minister said each family under the Indiramma Towers scheme would get an undivided land share of 17 to 20 square yards. In addition, they would get full rights over the apartment, he said.
He said the government had decided to provide sale deeds without registration charges. As a result, selected families would receive formal rights without paying those charges.
Srinivasa Reddy said the selection process would leave no room for political pressure or lobbying. Instead, he said the government was using a lottery system. According to him, the lottery would select eligible families in a clear and open manner. He said recommendations and pressure would not decide who received a home.
The minister said the Telangana Housing Board had made lottery selections public in the CURE area. In addition, it had invited objections before completing the process, he said. He said the first round had begun with 480 homes in each Assembly constituency covered by the programme. Meanwhile, officials had completed tender and agreement work at several places.
Srinivasa Reddy said construction would soon gather speed. He also linked the city programme with the larger Indiramma housing drive across Telangana. He said the government had sanctioned 4.50 lakh Indiramma houses in rural areas in the first phase. Each house carried aid of Rs 5 lakh, he said.
More phases planned under Indiramma Towers scheme
The minister said the government had sanctioned another 2.50 lakh houses in the second phase. He also said the State had planned one lakh Indiramma homes within Hyderabad. The Indiramma Towers scheme would form the urban part of that effort, he said. Therefore, the government planned to build the homes in several rounds.
Srinivasa Reddy told eligible applicants not to lose hope if they missed the first round. He said later rounds would cover more families. “Every eligible poor family that has applied here need not be disappointed. We will build houses in the second, third, fourth and fifth phases as well,” he said.
He said the government would provide homes in stages over the next two-and-a-half years. The promise covered eligible poor families in the CURE area, he added.
Indiramma Towers scheme targeted next Bonalu
Srinivasa Reddy said work on the Indiramma Towers scheme near Malkam Cheruvu would be speeded up. He said the government wanted the homes ready by the next Bonalu. The minister said beneficiaries should be able to carry Bonalu from the new complex by then. Therefore, he asked officials to move the work faster to meet that goal.
He also said the government would not accept poor quality in construction. Instead, families could visit the site and watch the work, he added. Srinivasa Reddy asked them to inspect the construction once every week. If they found a problem, they could complain to officers at the site.
He said the government would take responsibility for fixing such problems. He also asked families to keep a close watch on the quality of their homes. The minister said the apartment was not just a benefit from the government. Rather, he described it as an asset that could pass to children and later generations.
“This is not a gift given by the government. It is an asset that will remain for your children and future generations,” he said. He asked families to protect the property. He said their children should be able to say with pride that they owned an apartment in Raidurgam.
Lottery system to guide Indiramma Towers scheme allotments
Srinivasa Reddy said the location itself added value to the homes. He again pointed to the high land prices in the area. The minister contrasted the Indiramma Towers scheme with earlier housing methods. He said earlier governments had built homes 30 to 40 kilometres away from the city.
By contrast, he said the Congress government was building homes for poor families within Hyderabad. The statement formed part of his defence of the current housing policy. Srinivasa Reddy said the Indiramma Towers scheme would not allow political influence in allotments. Instead, he said the lottery method would keep the selection process open.
He added that the Telangana Housing Board had published selections in the CURE area. The Board had also allowed applicants to raise objections, he said. The minister said demand for city housing was high. Therefore, the government had planned several rounds instead of limiting the programme to one list.
He said eligible families who did not get homes in the first round could be considered later. The second, third, fourth and fifth rounds would follow, he added. Srinivasa Reddy tied that plan to the target of one lakh homes in Hyderabad. He said the government would carry out the programme in stages.
Construction quality under Indiramma Towers scheme
At Raidurgam, the focus was on starting work near Malkam Cheruvu. He said the site formed part of the wider push to house poor families in costly city areas. The minister said completed tender and agreement work at several places would help construction move faster. At the same time, he asked officials to keep both speed and quality in view.
He again asked families to visit the site during construction. That would let them see how workers were building their homes, he said. If they noticed poor work, he said they should report it at once. The government would then have to solve the problem, he added.
Srinivasa Reddy said the ownership package included the apartment and a share in the land. That share would range from 17 to 20 square yards. He said free registration of the sale deed would give families full legal rights without registration charges. In addition, the measure would reduce the cost of taking ownership.
Indiramma Towers scheme formed part of wider housing drive
The minister said the Indiramma Towers scheme targeted poor families who lived in the city. He said moving them far away would work against that aim. He repeated that the government wanted homes as close as possible to their present areas. Therefore, the scheme centred on housing within valuable urban locations.
Srinivasa Reddy said the rural housing drive was also moving ahead. He cited 4.50 lakh houses in the first phase and 2.50 lakh in the second. He said each rural house in the first phase carried Rs 5 lakh in aid. Meanwhile, the government had set a separate target of one lakh homes for Hyderabad.
The minister also rejected political criticism of the housing programme. He said a scheme for poor families should not be used only for political attacks. Referring to the previous government, he said people had already judged its promises and work on housing. His remarks formed part of his response to criticism.
Srinivasa Reddy said the current plan would keep expanding through later rounds. He again assured eligible applicants that missing the first list would not end their chance. The government planned to cover eligible poor families in the CURE area over the next two-and-a-half years, he said. He also repeated the next-Bonalu target for the Raidurgam site.
Finally, the minister said the aim was to finish the new homes quickly without lowering quality. He asked both officials and families to watch the work closely.