A large number of beneficiaries of the ‘Pedalandariki Illu’ scheme performed ‘bhumi puja’ for the construction of houses allotted to them in the ‘YSR Jagananna Colonies’ across the State on Thursday.
With this, the stage has been set for building 28,30,227 houses in two phases at a total cost of ₹50,994 crore. It has been targeted to construct 15,60,227 houses in the first phase costing ₹28,084 crore. The deadline for their completion is June 2022.
The construction of 12.70 lakh houses will be undertaken in the second phase at a cost ₹22,860 crore and it is supposed to be over by June 2023, according to an official release.
Plot size
The area of each plot is 340 square feet and the houses will have one bedroom, one living room, a kitchen, toilet and verandah.
The government is spending ₹34,000 crore on infrastructure in these colonies, a massive chunk of which goes to the laying of drains, and electricity and drinking water facilities.
Ground breaking ceremony for over 17,000 houses was conducted in Krishna district as part of the State-wide programme.
Principal Secretary (housing) Ajay Jain and District Collector J. Nivas took part in the function at Gosala in Penamaluru mandal, where 609 beneficiaries performed rituals in their respective plots.
On the whole, over 48,000 houses were allotted in the district and the remaining would be grounded on July 3 and 4.
Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said the dream of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was to build houses and give them to all the eligible poor in the State.
He was speaking after laying the foundation for the construction of houses at at Gurrampalem village in Pendurthy mandal on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam city along with District Collector V. Vinay Chand and MLA A. Adeep Raj.
Mr. Vinay Chand said the government would supply 20 tonnes of sand to the beneficiaries free of cost. The required steel and cement was ready at the depots. Joint collector M. Venugopal Reddy was among those present.
Material scarcity looms
The grounding of houses was also undertaken in Anantapur and Kurnool districts. At the same time, scarcity of building material and the impending rise in costs loomed large.
Dharmavaram MLA Kethireddy Venkatarami Reddy appealed to the construction material dealers and middlemen to cooperate with the beneficiaries and not to resort to hoarding.
Procuring sand for the construction of 31,200 houses in Anantapur district and 46,000 houses in Kurnool district in the first phase is going to be a major challenge.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no work for the daily wagers. With the launch of the scheme, there is a handful of work for many now. The progress of work should not be derailed by hoarding the construction material,” Mr. Venkatarami Rreddy said.
Anantapur Collector Nagalakshmi Selvarajan participated in the programme at Pothula Nagepalli layout on the outskirts of Dharmavaram, while her Kurnool counterpart G. Veerapandian launched the programme at Pyalakurthy village in Kodumur mandal.
Greenery
“The colonies will not only have basic amenities but will also have enough greenery,” Government Whip and TUDA Chairman Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy said while participating in the ‘bhumi puja’ at a colony at Sanambatla in Chandragiri mandal of Chittoor district.
“I will ensure that the Jagananna Colonies in Chandragiri constituency are ranked the best in the State,” he said.
He laid foundation stone for 6,681 dwelling units being built in the first phase. Earlier, he performed ‘go puja’ at the site. He took part in similar events at Ithepalle, Durgasamudram, Ramapuram and Kothuru villages. Revenue Divisional Officer V. Kanaka Narasa Reddy was present.
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