Housing is one of the flagship programmes of the government as it targets to complete construction of 10 lakh houses before 2019.
The Rural Housing Department has completed construction of more than 1.95 lakh houses, including pre-NTR houses, during 2017.
Rural Housing Minister Kalava Srinivasulu told The Hindu that coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti and World Habitat Day on October 2, the government had successfully performed ‘gruha pravesam’ (house warming ceremony) of one lakh houses constructed under the NTR Rural Housing Scheme. It was a big achievement, the Minister said. Not stopping there, the government was constructing 10 lakh houses across the State for the shelterless poor. Of these, two lakh houses would be constructed in the rural areas, he said.
Graft charges
The government was focussing on completion of the Indiramma (Integrated Novel Development In Rural Areas and Model Municipal Areas) houses, which ran into rough weather for various reasons, including graft charges.
“We will be losing our track if we spend our energies on identifying and fixing people responsible for the mess and irregularities in the pre-NTR housing. We need an exclusive department to inquire into the irregularities. Instead, we want to complete the pre-NTR houses. Notwithstanding the limitations, the government is initiating action against the guilty officials,” he asserted.
‘Anantapur improves’
On why Anantapur was lagging behind, the Minister said: “Yes, initially Anantapur district was lagging behind. But its performance has improved significantly. It now stands in the sixth place compared to 12th position earlier.”
There was lot of demand for houses in Anantapur district. The demand was more than double the sanctioned strength. “The government is putting in all efforts to match the expectations of the people,” the Minister said.
Mr. Srinivasulu said that the decision to accord ST status to the Boya Valmiki community was a major achievement. It had been a long-pending demand. Many committees had recommended it. The Census of India report in 1961 by B.K. Roy Burman, the Andhra Pradesh Tribes Enquiry Committee in1961-62, the Prof. P.D. Satya Pal Kumar Committee in 2016, and the AP State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in 2017 had given their opinion in favour of the community, he said.
The other ST communities need not have any apprehensions over their reservation. The Boya and Valmiki communities were already enjoying BC reservation. Their share in the BCs would be transferred to the ST category, he said.
He brushed aside reports of differences in TDP leaders in Anantapur district.
