Chittoor tops in implementation of Jagananna housing programme

Tirupati: Chittoor district, which stood first in 'Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu' programme, rejuvenating government schools, repeated the same feat with regard to Jagananna Colony housing programme for the poor by completing the construction of 17,071 houses so far.

In all, 73,628 houses were sanctioned to Chittoor district with a total cost of Rs 1,325 crore in which 17,071 were completed while the remaining are under various stages of construction, according to District Collector Hari Narayanan. Efforts were on for speedy completion of the remaining houses under various stages of completion including roof level 7,132, RCC 11,784, base level 18,098 and to begin works of the houses still not grounded, to see all the houses sanctioned to the district completed. S Pushpa, a house maker, said that since 20 years her family was living in a rented house in Palamaner town as the meagre income of her husband Srinivas is insufficient for family maintenance and education of her daughter studying nursing degree. Thanks to Jagananna Colony in Bommidoddi near Palamaner, she said delightedly that she completed the house construction with the

financial support Rs 5 lakh from the government coupled with Rs 35,000 borrowing from her SHG. "My husband is the only earner in the family as I have to take care of my differently-abled son confined to home. I stopped even dreaming of my own house,'' she said revealing how the housing programme fulfilled the long cherished dream of scores of poor to have a home. P Malliswari, a widow running a tiffin centre in Karvetinagaram to support her family of three including two children, has no words to explain her joy on completing her house in Padmasarovar colony in the town. Many times I faced the wrath of my house owner as I failed to pay the monthly rent with my meagre income from the tiffin centre. But the government sanctioning Rs 6 lakh worth house, loan Rs 5 lakh and the interest-free amount borrowed from my SHG saw completion of the house

in Padmasarovar Jagananna colony, near the town and ended my rent house sufferings. "Owning a house also brought social security that I direly needed to support my small eatery business," she said beamingly. Housing project director Padmanabham said the supply of raw materials by the government, sand, cement and steel proved a turning point in completion of the houses and DISCOM providing electricity on priority basis accelerating the constructions, taking the district to first place.