The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is all set to wind up a few projects under the Union government-sponsored housing schemes, which could not take off or could only be partially completed due to factors ranging from resistance from local people to refusal by beneficiaries to shift from their old places. The unutilised funds from these projects will be deposited back with the Union government.
The said projects, under the Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP), had got their Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved in 2007. But despite many attempts by the local body to implement them, they remained non-starters.
A major project to be scrapped is the one at Pound Kadavu Colony in Thycaud. The Rs.10-crore project did not take off because the beneficiaries were unwilling to shift from their houses.
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The Mannamoola housing scheme, planned exclusively for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, has been facing stiff resistance from the residents in the area. Though the civic body conducted several rounds of talks with the residents, they were in no mood to let ‘outsiders’ move in here.
The housing scheme at Barton Hill colony, at Rs.2.3 crore, is one of the partially completed projects. Only a few individual houses, numbering around 50, could be completed. Flats could not be built for reasons similar to those at Pound Kadavu.
The project at Rajeev Nagar Colony at Shanghumughom is also partially completed. Around 20 housing blocks have been built. Same is the case with the 2-cent colony project at Kadakampally.
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In Puthenthoppu, though the houses have been completed, there is no space left to build an anganwadi. The scattered housing scheme in coastal area is partially completed and the remaining funds will be routed to projects in other wards.
“Holding the funds will increase liabilities. So, it is better to wind up such projects,” said Palayam Rajan, Chairman of the Welfare Standing Committee.