Government committed to construct 3 lakh 2-BHK houses: Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Road and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy said that the government is committed to construct about three lakh double bedroom houses for the poor and it is trying to resolve the difference cropped up between the State and the Centre over the list of beneficiaries.

Responding to a question in the State Legislative Council here on Thursday, on the Central share in the housing programme, he said that the State has so far spent about Rs 7,800 crore on the double bedroom houses project since its launch in 2015.

Out of this, the Central has given Rs 1,311 crore under the Pradhana Manthri Awas Yojana (Grameen) and Pradhana Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), during financial years of 2016-17 to 2017-18, he said.

"In the overall spending on the housing project for the poor being implemented by the State government the State's expenditure stands at 83 per cent against the Central contribution of 17 per cent," he said.

However, the State has not received Central funds for the project after 2017-18 following the differences cropped up over the list of beneficiaries.

The State is trying to resolve the issue and to convince the centre on the transparent selection of beneficiaries list by the State government.

Dismissing allegations of any discrimination in implementing the project between the urban and rural areas, Prashanth Reddy said the State government has sanctioned 2,83,401 2BHK houses under the project.

Out of this so far 39, 321 houses are completed and 1,10,459 houses are nearing completion in a couple of months. This makes a total of 1,49,7890 houses would be completed out of the total number of houses sanctioned. This is not an insignificant achievement completed in three years, he claimed.

Further, the government has proposed a higher allocation for the programme in the budget for the year 2020-21 to complete all the houses sanctioned.

Besides, it has also decided to support the poor people who have land and wanted to construct double bedroom houses. The minister said lack of availability of contractors and shortage of availability of lands were some of the reasons for the slower implementation of double bedroom houses in the rural areas.

However, the government has taken a series of measures to encourage contractors to take up the works by providing several relaxations and exemption.

Earlier, raising the issue Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy asked on the Central funding the double bedroom housing project and tardy process in completing the sanctioned houses to the beneficiaries.