With Governor K. Rosaiah inaugurating the completed Coimbatore housing project of the Air Force Naval Housing Board (AFNHB) here on Wednesday, the 372 allotees will be handed over their respective dwelling units by the end of 2013 in a staggered manner.
Coimbatore is the second in the State after Chennai to have got the project, which has come up in 14.35 acres at an approximate cost of Rs. 88 crore.
It was aimed at providing affordable accommodation for serving and retired Air Force and Navy personnel, war widows and widows of personnel who died in harness.
Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the inauguration of ‘Jal Vayu Vihar’ that was launched formally in May 2010, Director General of AFNHB Air Marshal K.P. Nair pointed out that the project had received overwhelming response in Coimbatore.
“Though this land was bought on auction in 2004, the conversion from industrial to residential status took a long time and hence, the actual project was launched only in 2010.
The response, when it was announced, and now as it is being handed over, has been tremendous.
The project was oversubscribed and hence, there is a huge outstanding demand. The waitlist and the present demand is enough to launch another project in Coimbatore,” the Air Marshal said.
The AFNHB was looking at projects in Chennai and Coimbatore where the demand was very high and in the future in places such as Tiruchi where there was a mild demand.
It had more than 40 completed projects all over India and nearly eight on-going ones.
The Board delivered projects on a ‘no-profit no-loss’ basis.
The Vihar, complete with a community centre, club house, swimming pool, gymnasium, and squash court, was constructed as per Green Building norms.
Project Director Wing Commander M.J. Bobby said the Vihar was unique in its facilities such as a sewage treatment plant, solar panels to support 30 per cent of outside lighting, rain harvesting facility, a Reverse Osmosis plant, and a vermi-composting yard.
“We have not used wood and bricks. River sand has been replaced to a great extent with M-sand. The project has, in a first-of-its-kind used the Ring Main Units system to control fluctuations and reduce carbon emissions,” he said.
Mr. Rosaiah, went on a tour of the Vihar on a battery-operated car after inaugurating it.
He also took a look at a model row house and appreciated the use of green building concepts.
