ULBs should own housing programme: Minister

Hyderabad, Nov 24 (UNI) Admitting that the 'weaker section housing programme' was not progressing speedily, Andhra Pradesh Housing Minister B Satyanarayana urged the heads of Urban Local Bodies to own the programme.

Inaugurating the regional conference on urban housing in the Telangana region, the Minister wanted the Muncipal Chairpersons to take the lead in speeding up the housing programme.

In an effort to speed up the housing programme in urban areas, a memorandum of understanding had been entered into with a New Zealand-based firm for constructing one lakh houses using pre-fabrication technology, State Higher Education Minister D Srinivas said.

Legislators cutting across partylines urged the Government to hike the unit cost for the programme from the meagre Rs 40,000 per unit.

They expressed unhappiness over delay in urban housing when compared to rural areas, and attributed various reasons, including delay in land acquisition, for the purpose.

The MLAs urged the Government to enhance the allocation for land acquisition so that the housing programme was not crippled for lack of suitable land. Civic infrastructure should be first put in place before construction of the houses to avoid inconvenience to people, they added.

UNI