Gujarat Congress promises free plots to rural middle class

Ahmedabad, Aug 23: Following the overwhelming response of its poll promises of 'own your home' for housewives in urban Gujarat, Congress on Wednesday promised to extend the scheme, with free 100 yards plots, to the rural middle class of the state.

"If Congress party is voted to power it will allot 100 yards plots in the name of women of middle class homeless couples in rural areas and will make arrangements for loan upto Rs 1 lakh for constructing 30 square meter premises, to be repaid in affordable instalments in 15 years," state president Arjun Modhwadia told reporters here.

Apart from Modhwadia, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil and chairman of the election campaign committee Shankarsinh Vaghela addressed the press while making an announcement of the 4th point under 'Gujarat People Development Vision 2012' here today.

Thousands of women across urban centres of Gujarat queued up in the last 2-3 days to get the forms being distributed by the Congress party for 'own your own house' scheme, where the party has promised to give flats to poor and middle class women at the cost of Rs 75,000 to 2 lakh, if it is voted to power.

Congress leadership today thanked the women of state for showing unprecedented faith in party by responding in great numbers to get the forms for the proposed scheme.

"BJP government has granted 105 crore sq m land at cheap rates to industrial houses. However, it has discontinued scheme of 100 sq yards plots. Not a single plot has been allotted to homeless, landless families in Gujarat under 20 point programme implementation scheme," Modhwadia alleged.

"We are planning 15 lakh plots and as many houses and this scheme will be made available for other than BPL families in which agriculture labourers, artisans and landless people will be benefitted," Gohil said.

As per the data presented by Congress, at present there are 19,19,792 residential premises not properly built, there are more than 30,959 houses made out of wood, 31,31,979 families residing in single room homes and 3,34,479 families residing in rented premises in the state.

"For all such families there is a need for home. At the same time to stop further urbanisation, which has overburdened the infrastructure of the city, we are planning to create colonies with urban facilities in homes for rural," said Gohil.

The Modalities for implementation of the scheme will be chalked out later.

"The proposed scheme is for the rural areas of the state where people at present are fighting with the drought and other challenges. Hence we will work out a plan for this scheme in coming days," Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

PTI