Minister lays foundation stone for 4,087 houses

Tirupati, May 30 (UNI) Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja today laid foundation stone at Municipal Corporation Office here for construction of 4,087 houses and providing infrastructure at Aviala and Daminedu slum areas, sanctioned under Integrated Housing and Slum Development (IHSDP).

The Minister said with the objective of making Tirupati slum-free in next couple of years, the total cost of projects sanctioned to Tirupati was Rs 55.36 crore, with Centre's grant of Rs 37.75 crore, The mission stipulated that seven basic amenities namely land tenure, affordable shelter, water, sanitation, education, health and social security would be provided to the poor.

She said in order to provide basic services to the poor, the government has so far sanctioned 16 projects to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam cities in the state at the cost of Rs 1,389 crore, with Central assistance approved at Rs 691 crore.

She said the state government would be able to attain the goal of 'slum-free urban India' in next five to seven years and added ''for that I want to conduct a country-wide campaign''.

She would also seek the support of TTD in synergizing the efforts of the municipality to build an environment in which all the devotees would have access to basic amenities.

Let Lord Venkateswara bless all of us to develop an urban India in which every poor and slum-dweller would be provided with land tenure, affordable home, safe and potable drinking water, sanitation, education, health and social security in the near future, she added.

Later, Kumari Selja and Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panapaka Lakshmi left for Tirumala for darshan of Lord Venkateswara.

UNI