Hyderabad: Congress MP from Bhongir Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday attended his first meeting as a member of the standing committee of the union ministry of housing and urban affairs, which was chaired by Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy.
During the meeting, Kiran Reddy voiced concerns regarding the unequal implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). He pointed out that, over the last 10 years, the Centre had sanctioned only 1.58 lakh houses for Telangana, out of the total 118.64 lakh houses approved nationwide.
He highlighted that Andhra Pradesh (21.37 lakh houses), Uttar Pradesh (17.76 lakh), Maharashtra (13.64 lakh) and Gujarat (10.05 lakh) had received significantly higher allocations.
Kiran Reddy criticised the BRS government for its lack of coordination with the Centre, which, he said, had resulted in fewer houses being sanctioned to Telangana under PMAY. He stated that the sanctioned houses were not properly constructed and allotted to eligible beneficiaries was biased.
He pointed out that, in contrast, the Congress government had proactively gathered data, identifying approximately 33.88 lakh people in the state in need of houses.
With the Centre aiming to complete one crore houses in the next five years, Reddy urged it to allocate at least six lakh houses to Telangana in the current year to address the state's housing crisis.
Kiran Reddy highlighted the issue of public transport in Hyderabad. He noted that the city is expanding nearly 50 km outward on all sides, but the lack of adequate transportation infrastructure is contributing to unemployment and traffic congestion. He called on the Centre to review and support states like Telangana in improving urban mobility, stressing the need for faster implementation of projects to keep pace with the global standards.
He also brought attention to the rapid urbanisation of gram panchayats around Hyderabad, Warangal, and Karimnagar, which are being converted into municipalities. He raised concerns about unauthorised layouts, poor road infrastructure and inadequate water supply and sewage systems in these newly urbanised areas. He called for better planning and execution towards this.
