Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the officials to begin construction work in the ‘YSR Jagananna Colonies’ on June 1, and build a model house in every layout.
In a review meeting on ‘Navaratnalu - Pedalandariki Illu’ programme on Wednesday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said construction of houses and creation of infrastructure in the colonies required 7.50 lakh tonnes of steel.
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“Due to slump in demand for steel because of the COVID-19 crisis, prices are likely to come down. Utilising the opportunity, the officials should negotiate the price to keep the expenditure at a minimum level, while not compromising on quality,” the Chief Minister said.
If any beneficiary volunteered to get the house constructed on his or her own, the material needed should be supplied to them, he said. Power and water pipelines should be laid underground, he added.
The Chief Minister asserted that the construction of houses would give a boost to the economy during the pandemic time by generating employment for the workers and stoking demand mainly for steel and cement.
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‘Seek Central aid’
In view of the huge fund requirement, the Central government’s assistance should be sought, he ordered.
The officials told the Chief Minister that 15,60,227 houses were sanctioned under the first phase of the PMAY-YSR Urban Housing (beneficiary-led construction) scheme. Out of these, 71,502 houses were in court cases. Decks were cleared for the construction of 14,88,725 houses. The construction of houses in the YSR Jagananna Colonies would be completed by June 2022.
Under the TIDCO project, 81,040 houses were nearing completion (more than 90%) and 71,448 houses achieved 75% progress.
Ministers B. Satyanarayana (Municipal Administration) and Ch. Sriranganadha Raju (Housing), and Special Chief Secretaries Y. Srilakshmi and Ajay Jain were present.