VIJAYAWADA: After almost seven postponements, the much-awaited flagship welfare scheme of YSR Congress government ‘Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu’ is all set for its launch on Friday marking this year’s Christmas. Spread over 15 days, house pattas would be distributed to 30 lakh women across all districts barring those having court cases.
This is in keeping with the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s padayatra promise of providing pucca houses to the poor. The Chief Minister will initiate the programme at Komaragiri layout of U Kothapalli mandal in East Godavari district. The day will also mark the commencement of construction of 15.60 lakh houses in the first phase. In addition to these, the government will also distribute sale agreements for 2.60 lakh TIDCO houses.
The government had initially decided to launch the massive event on Ugadi (March 25). Coronavirus and later PILs in courts thwarted the programme, including those planned for Ambedkar Jayanti, Gandhi Jayanti and Independence Day.
The government finally decided to distribute house site pattas in those areas, where there were no court cases. The remaining beneficiaries will be given D-form pattas. Once the legal cases are resolved, land deeds will be given in the name of women beneficiaries.
So far 30,75,755 beneficiaries have been identified for the scheme, of which 23,37,067 will be given houses in over 17,000 developed ‘YSR Jagananna Colonies’. About 4,86,820 people who are already living in unauthorized sites, will be legalised and the remaining 2,51,868 will be allocated TIDCO houses.
For the first time in the country, a house site patta is being given for just one rupee and it will be registered in the name of a woman member of the household. The beneficiaries will be given 1.5 cents in rural areas or one cent in urban areas.
The state government had acquired 68,361 acres of land worth `23,535 crore. Of this 25,120.33 acres belongs to the government, which is valued at about `8,000 crore and 25,359.31 acres were purchased at a cost of Rs 10,150 crore. Also, 4,457.05 acres was acquired under land pooling scheme in Visakhapatnam, 1,074.18 acres owned by AMRDA in Amaravati, 2,550.96 acres was acquired for TIDCO housing, and another 9,800 acres for those living in occupied lands have also been acquired.
15.60 lakh houses to be constructed in first phase
The government has proposed to construct 28.30 lakh houses at an estimated cost of `50,944 crore. Out of these, 15.60 lakh houses will be taken up in the first phase at a cost of `28,084 crore and the remaining 12.70 lakh houses will be taken up in the second phase at a cost of `22,860 crore.
The first phase works will commence on Friday, where 15.60 lakh houses will be constructed in 8,929 layouts in 175 constituencies, while in the second phase, 12.70 lakh houses will be constructed in 7,141 layouts in all constituencies.
The government has decided to have the quality of houses inspected by experts from IITs and NIT. Each house will consist of one bedroom, living room, kitchen, toilet and verandah, with a total plinth area of 340 sq.ft. and will be provided with basic facilities like lights, fans, overhead tank and water connection. AP Tidco has already undertaken the construction of 2,62,216 houses across the state. The houses are being constructed on three floors with an area of 300, 365, 430 sq. ft.
In an innovative act, the State government is only charging one rupee for a 300 sq ft house. The sale agreement would be issued on the occasion. Similarly, the beneficiary of a 365 sq ft house has to pay Rs 50,000 as his share and the beneficiary of a 430 sq ft house has to pay Rs one lakh but the government has also announced a 50 percent subsidy for them. To that extent, the beneficiary of a 365 sq ft house will have to pay only Rs 25,000 and the beneficiary of a 430 sq ft house will have to pay only Rs 50,000.
The subsidy will be borne by the government. For TIDCO houses, 1,43,600 beneficiaries have been identified for 300 sq ft houses, 44,304 for 365 sq ft houses and 74,312 beneficiaries for 430 sq ft houses. They will also be given sale agreements from Friday.
YSRC, TD in war of words over house sites
There has been a war of words between the opposition and ruling party leaders over alleged corruption in the mega housing programme. Opposition parties, including main opposition Telugu Desam, allege huge corruption by ruling party MLAs and leaders in land acquisition, levelling and allotment process of the mega housing scheme.
TD leaders alleged that YSRC legislators and leaders have looted Rs 6,500 crore worth public money in the name of the housing scheme but the ruling party refuting the same claimed that unable to digest the good name of YSRC, the opposition parties are trying to defame the government with baseless allegations.
Meanwhile, the TD conducted a photo exhibition in the party State office on Thursday showing photos of low-lying areas, hilly places, graveyards and alluvial soils, which were unfit to construct houses and which are selected for house site distribution programme.
Former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said that the Chief Minister had got many palaces in different metro cities but his regime was giving just one and half-cent in rural areas and one cent in urban areas. He stated that if the State was spared from the Rs. 6,500 crore looting of public funds, then over 13 lakh families could have got one additional cent. He alleged that the ruling party legislators and leaders had committed corruption in 40 Assembly segments and looted Rs. 4,000 crore in land acquisitions, Rs. 2,000 crore in levelling of lands and another Rs. 750 crore in the form of collections from the allottees.
Minister Kodali Srivenkateswara Rao, Perni Venkataramaiah and other leaders of ruling party refuted the allegations of TD. They claimed that the TD government committed corruption in the house construction and failed to provide houses to beneficiaries. The YSRC government is offering house sites free of cost and in a transparent manner.
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