Many of the problems in implementing housing schemes such as Basava Vasati Yojane and Indira Awaaz Yojane are because the nodal officers’ chances to misappropriate funds have reduced, said Minister for Housing V. Somanna in Mangalore on Sunday.
Talking to presspersons during the launch of the high-income group and middle-income group housing projects at Kudupu, the Minister said one such problem was the ‘locking’ under the Basava Vasati Yojane, under which around 30,000 houses in the districts were being constructed.
“Houses get ‘locked’ by the software if the beneficiary did not start construction of houses within six months of the allocation. There is a problem with the way the scheme is being executed by the nodal officers. We will start opening these houses soon and we have instructed the officers,” said the Housing Minister.
He claimed that after the government had started GPS (Global Positioning System)-based allotment and direct cash transfers in the name of the woman of the house, the nodal officers had lost interest (in implementation) as there was no scope for them to receive “commissions”.
Another issue that had cropped up was the cancellation of allottees under the scheme when the houses extended beyond the maximum limit of 1,200 sq. ft. Mr. Somanna said though the nodal officers are not supposed to cancel allocation of funds (a maximum of Rs. 75,000) to houses built beyond this, the Housing Department was considering increasing this built-up size.
Insisting that the housing sector had come alive in five years of BJP governance, Mr. Somanna said the Cabinet had recently approved the Suryanagar housing project, around 34 kilometres from Bangalore, which will be an inclusive township of complexes, hospitals, schools coming up at a cost of more than Rs. 3,300 crore in four phases. He added that 6.9 lakh houses of the targeted 8 lakh thatched-roof houses had already been converted into pucca houses in the state.
Flats for Rs. 2,700/ sq ft
Multi-storied residential complexes for high-income groups and middle-income groups constructed by the Karnataka Housing Board were launched by the Minister for Housing V. Somanna in Kudupu and Kotekar on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.
The phase I Kudupu project will have 42 flats (37 2BHK and five 3BHK flats) on an area of 58,000 sq. ft.; phase II will have 27 flats (three 1BHK and 24 2BHK flats) on 35,924 sq ft area. The project costs Rs. 19 crore. The Kotekar project will have 216 flats on 2.25 lakh sq ft area.
KHB officials said bookings for the apartments were open, and the tentative per square feet price has been set at Rs. 2,700.
