AP earmarks Rs 15K crore for housing this year: CM Jagan

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said a sum of Rs 15,810 crore would be spent this year on the YSR Congress government’s flagship Pedalandariki Illu mega housing programme.

 He refuted allegations of the opposition Telugu Desam about the Tidco houses. There was neglect of Tidco houses scheme during the  Chandrababu government’s term but there is massive construction of these houses under the present YSRC government.

The CM said the YSRC government was bearing an expenditure of Rs 21,000 crore for Tidco houses.

Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the housing department officials to nail the opposition campaign over Tidco houses and explain the present efforts in this direction.

At a review meeting on Housing held here on Thursday, Jagan Mohan Reddy said a lot of bad propaganda was being carried out by the Telugu Desam that had abandoned the construction of the Tidco houses for the poor during its rule. On the other hand, “We are handing them over to the beneficiaries along with basic infrastructure,” he said.

The CM said officials should pay attention to drainage and other basic facilities in the Jagananna colonies.

Officials told the CM that Rs 21,000 crore was spent in the last 45 months for Tidco houses, as against the Rs 8,723.08 crore spent by the TD government. The present government spent over Rs 482 crore and gave a 50 per cent concession on the payments made by the beneficiaries in TD rule. Besides, the present government is giving a benefit of Rs 12,011 crore through free registrations to an additional 2.62 lakh beneficiaries  and arranging Rs 1,875 crore in bank loans through a tie-up with banks.

The YSRC government also spent Rs 9,044 crore towards Hudco loan repayments and construction of houses and provision of basic infrastructure. “While there were no registrations of Tidco houses between 2015 and 2019, some 1,55,673 houses were registered and 48,172 houses handed over to the beneficiaries in the last 45 months, officials explained to the CM.

They said the completed houses would be handed over to another 1.50 lakh beneficiaries by June and 1.12 lakh beneficiaries by December.

 Officials said Rs 10,203 crore was spent on housing in the 2022-23 fiscal, while a target of Rs 15,810 crore is fixed for the present fiscal. Some 3,40,741 houses were completed and 4,67,551 housing units are ready for completion as part of the endeavour to provide “housing for all the poor families.”

 “We are taking all measures to ensure quality for the constructions as per the directions of the chief minister,” the officials said.

Housing minister J. Ramesh, municipal administration minister A. Suresh, chief secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, AP state housing corporation chairman Dorababu, Tidco chairman J. Prasanna Kumar, special chief secretaries Sri Lakshmi (MA&UD), K. Vijayanand (Energy) and Ajay Jain (Housing), finance secretary K.V.V. Satyanarayana, special secretary (Housing) Mohammad Deewan, APSHC MD Lakshmi Shah, AP Tidco MD Sridhar, Mines and geology director Venkata Reddy and other officials attended the review meeting.