Through the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB), the State government has been constructing houses for people living in tents on roadsides, on railway properties or near waterbodies, said Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam here on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after presiding over a meeting attended by engineers from the TNSCB and other departments, he said that after a survey taken in the district, it was proposed to construct 1,224 dwelling units at three locations - Vadaveera Naickenpatti, Thappakundu and near Kombai. The new tenements would have underground drainage facility, rainwater harvesting structure and paver block pathway in common utility areas. Each dwelling units would have 400 square feet of living space.
Each beneficiary shall contribute ₹ 1 lakh for the project, the Centre would provide ₹1.50 lakh and the State has earmarked ₹6 lakh, thus taking the total cost of each dwelling to ₹8.50 lakh.
Engineers from the TNSCB said that out of the 1,224 houses being built at a cost of ₹122.18 crore, 376 units have been completed. These would be handed over to the district administration in a month and the remaining houses would be handed over by September-end.
Admitting that urbanisation had made people migrate from their native places to other parts, Mr. Panneerselvam said that the Tamil Nadu government was keen to remove slum habitations very soon. The new dwellings have been constructed on the lines of ‘Green House’ concept with more thrust on solar energy.
Collector M. Pallavi Baldev, who was present at the meeting, said that as and when the TNSCB handed over the completed units, the officials would carry out inspections and commence handing them over to the allottees. The TNSCB engineers said that COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down the works, but hoped to make it up in the next 60 to 90 days.