Thatched huts to make way for pucca houses: Rangasamy

Puducherry, May 4 (UNI) The Puducherry administration is committed to provide pucca houses to all those living in thatched huts here, Chief Minister N Rangasamy told the Legislative Assembly today.

Intervening Housing Minister E Valsaraj's reply in the House, Mr Rangasamy said the Government would soon start providing Rs one lakh subsidy for construction of pucca houses, commencing from Ouppalam constituency.

Earlier, Mr Valsaraj said the administration had provided subsidy for the construction of 22,500 pucca houses during 2003, 2004 and 2005, of which 16,550 have been constructed till yesterday. Under the Kamaraj Housing Scheme, the Government had allocated Rs 30 crore each for 2003-04 and 2004-05, besides Rs 37.50 crore for 2005-06.

He clarified that since the GO for the scheme for 2006-07 was issued only in March, only Rs 77.54 lakhs out of the total Rs 100 crore was disbursed. The assistance was being given in instalments, he added.

To another question, Mr Valsaraj said the administration would take stringent action if members proved that an official had accepted a bribe of Rs 500 each for enrolling members in the Construction Workers Welfare Board, as alleged by them, in Karaikal.

As many as 6,126 workers have been enrolled in Karaikal.

Members V K Ganapathy and P R Siva informed the House that many of them were bogus enrollment and an offical was selling the applications for enrollment in his house.

The Minister said it was found that about 20 per cent of the enrollment in Puducherry was bogus. The Government would enquire into it and the matter pertaining to Karaikal would also be taken up then.

UNI