15.60 lakh houses coming up in 71,811 acres worth 25,000 crore in AP: CM Jagan

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Thursday that the government has collected 71,811 acres of lands worth Rs 25,000 crore for construction of houses in 17,000 colonies.

“These are not colonies but modern villages,” the CM asserted.

Jagan told the AP assembly that the opposition created a lot of hurdles in the way of the state’s mega housing programme by initiating litigations in various areas including Pulivendula.

The government is constructing 15.60 lakh houses under the first phase and distributed house land pattas to 30.76 lakh beneficiaries so far, he said.

Affirming that the government has taken up the cause of housing for the poor in a big way, the chief minister said, “We are committed to the initiative despite hurdles being created by the Opposition and thus provided 30.76 lakh house sites and proposed construction of 15.60 lakh houses in the first phase.”

In the short discussion on housing, he said the government has acquired 71811 acres of land with a market value of Rs 25,000 crore to create an asset of about Rs 4-10 lakh to each beneficiary. About 17,005 colonies are being built and in the first phase and Rs 28,000 crore was spent for 15.6 lakh houses.

A total of 71 lakh tonnes of cement, 312 lakh tonnes of sand, 7.5 lakh tonnes of steel and 1250 crore bricks will be used for this housing project, which would play a vital role in boosting the rural economy and will be a game changer in increasing GSDP, the CM asserted.

Taking a dig at the opposition, Jagan said Chandrababu Naidu and his party leaders have tried their best to stall the housing initiative by moving court, even in Pulivendula. But, slowly, all the legal tangles are being cleared.

He said the housing schemes during the Telugu Desam term were infested with corruption and inflated costs. Citing the previous government’s housing module as pathetic, he said only 215 sq ft house was offered in the past, while the present government is providing a constructed house in an area of 340 sq ft. The TD’s housing scheme burdened the poor, as they needed to repay a Rs 3 lakh loan amount for 20 years with a monthly installment of Rs 3,000, the CM said.

Jagan said his government has been implementing the scheme in a transparent manner, without leaving out any eligible beneficiary. A sum of Rs 32909 crore is being spent on creating facilities like drinking water, drains, roads power supply, internet, along with schools, hospitals, village secretariats, RBKs, digital libraries which will be established over a period of time.

He said that the government is resorting to centralised procurement for construction materials so as to reduce cost and get quality material.