Housing Board Samyukta Samiti, a combine of Kerala State Housing Board employees, has appealed to the board authorities to consider, among other things, leveraging its land holdings to revive the financial health of the institution and explore the possibility of setting up fair price shops for building materials in the wake of the rapid rise in prices of materials.
In a memorandum submitted to the board chairman, the employees said the board had assets worth around ₹8,000 crore, which included nearly 125 acres of prime land holdings in various parts of the State. The assets should be utilised to revive the activities of the board, which is a premier government agency in the housing sector.
The employees also appealed to the board authorities to seek permission for setting up fair price shops for building materials in each panchayat and sanction for collecting sand from rivers and dams and its storage and distribution.
The employees said the government should permit the board to avail loan from agencies like Housing and Urban Development Corporation for constructing housing and commercial complexes on prime land owned by the board. Or else, the government should decide on the board’s functions in the future, even as it has been kept away from major projects like Life Mission and rehabilitation.
The employees felt that a global tender should be invited to build a major commercial and residential complex at Marine Drive in Kochi. The project can bring major gains both for the board and the State government, and any attempt to take away the property from the board should be abandoned.
The employees also drew the board’s attention to pension arrears to the tune of ₹52 crore for retired staff. There are retirees who have not even been paid provident fund. The employees are of the view that the board should demand the more than ₹243 crore owed by the government, to meet its immediate financial requirements.
