Vijayawada: Allot 4 lakh completed houses to poor: CPM

Vijayawada: More than four lakh houses are waiting to be handed over to the beneficiaries all over the State. But reasons better known to the powers-that-be, the houses were not handed over to the beneficiaries, who paid their share of amount to the government long back.

Addressing media here on Thursday, CPM State executive member Ch Babu Rao said that the construction of about two lakh houses was completed and the remaining two lakh houses were at different stages of completion. However, he said the officials were not handing over the completed houses nor interested in completing the construction of the houses.

The beneficiaries, mostly the poor have paid the application money ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs one lakh two years back, he said. The beneficiaries who have paid the amount lost so far nearly Rs 2,500 crore by way of interest on their deposits, he pointed out.

The CPM leader said the state government has announced that it would distribute house sites and the houses for 30 lakh people by July 8. "The government should complete the houses which have been under construction and allot the houses which were completed to the beneficiaries," he demanded.

The beneficiaries, who raised loans in a bid to live in an own house, were paying interest on the loans, he pointed out.

If there was corruption in the housing by the previous regime, he said action would be taken against the persons concerned but not the beneficiaries.

Recalling that the chief minister assured the beneficiaries that the houses would be free, he demanded that the amount paid by them should be returned. The houses under construction should be completed with all infrastructure facilities like roads, drainage, drinking water supply and electricity.

Babu Rao said about 5,000 houses in Amaravati and more than 5,000 houses on the outskirts of Vijayawada were awaiting allotment to the beneficiaries.

Accompanied by the party leaders M Ravi and Bhagya Raju and others, he visited Mandadam, Tallayapalem, Venkatapalem and other villages in Amaravati region on Thursday where the houses are awaiting allotment.