APIL sells dream homes to people

Itanagar, Mar 19 (UNI) For people it resembles a concrete house made up of tin roof and costly building materials, but in reality it is a house made of bamboo, the green gold of North East.

The house which proved to be a sweet home to many, is the recent invention of Arunachal Plywood Industries Limited (APIL), a Namsai based industry based in the state's Lohit district.

The APIL, which excelled in plywood business decade back, had turned sick after a blanket ban on timber operations in the region by the Supreme Court in 1996.

Though it ventured into tea cultivation, metalized paper production and timber operation following controlled regime permitted by the apex court but did not meet with the same success.

However, it stumbled upon the gold mine following its initiative last year to tap the vast bamboo sector of the state through bamboo house production.

''The cost-effective, environment-friendly, fire-proof house are durable with a life span upto 25 years'', said Madan Jalan managing director of APIL.

The cost of a house varies from RS 52,000 to RS 1, 68,000 depending on its size, he said, adding, the industry had so far constructed houses in four sizes namely: 12x12ft, 16x16ft, 20x20ft and 24x20ft costing RS 52,000; RS 89,600; RS 1,40,000 and RS 1,68,000 respectively.

''We have so far sold 135 such houses outside the state including two in Uttaranchal, eight in Rajasthan, 10 in Manipur, 40 in Bodoland (Assam) and 75 in Jammu&Kashmir, while a trial for Tsunami hit Andaman has been approved against an order of 650 houses'', Mr Jalan said.

''As China has written the most successful story in the world in converting the longest grass on the earth (bamboo) to cash, these houses have high growth potential as an industry, particularly in an earthquake prone state like Arunachal Pradesh'' Mr Jalan added.

UNI UPB SP CS VC1220