Date:08/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/08/stories/2008020857720100.htm

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Now, Indiramma houses in 20 sq. yards

Ramesh Susarla

GUNTUR: Now beneficiaries under the Indiramma housing scheme in GMC limits can construct the houses in 20 square yards and can even get clubbed with someone else to have a twin house following a GO issued by Department of Housing on Thursday.

Mayor Kanna Nagaraju had taken the initiative to get the problem of land availability for Indiramma housing resolved by requesting the government to allow ground plus one floor within the unit cost of Rs. 70,000 per house of a beneficiary not exceeding/reducing the plinth area prescribed under the scheme.

The corporation had represented to the Housing Minister to waive/modify the rule to resolve the problem arising in the case of those from the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and several of Backward Classes as they were unable to acquire enough land or did not possess a minimum of 48 square yards as prescribed under the scheme.

The Mayor on Thursday met the Housing Minister in Hyderabad and got the Order No. 941 AE/E&P/GNT/Infra/08. Dt: 07-02-2008. He told The Hindu that this would reduce a major burden of searching for alternative sites on the staff and elected representatives. There is very little land available for relocating all the people in the 104 identified and 24 unidentified slums in which Indiramma houses are to be built, he added.

The G.O. helps construction of houses in all these slums and work would begin very soon. Two or four families could come together to have their houses built in this fashion if they did not have enough land, but were agreeable to joint houses like this.

Bologna’s suggestion

Meanwhile, the Italian city Bologna, which was the eco-budget partner for three years, has suggested switching off all lights at major monuments for one and a half hours between evening 6 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. so that power could be saved and the GMC could earn some carbon credits. Under this arrangement the GMC would switch off lights at the Jinnah Tower and Gandhi Park from February 15, the Mayor announced.