Will order a detailed probe into TIDCO irregularities: Narayana

Vijayawada: Minister for municipal administration and urban development P Narayana announced that a detailed probe will be ordered into the irregularities committed in sanction of TIDCO houses in the state and payments made to the banks in the YSRCP rule.

The minister said contractors and the TIDCO housing beneficiaries suffered many hardships during the YSRCP rule and stated that the government would try to complete the pending works of the houses and is trying to get loan from HUDCO or the banks. Narayana on Saturday participated in the short discussion in Assembly on TIDCO houses and irregularities committed during YSRCP rule. The MLAs alleged that TIDCO construction works were stalled and names of the beneficiaries were changed after the YSRCP government came to power. MLAs belong to TDP, JSP and BJP said the contractors of the TIDCO houses and beneficiaries suffered many problems in the YSRCP rule and asked the state government to complete the pending works and find out the real beneficiaries.

Responding to it, the minister said the TDP government during the period 2014-19 got permission from the Central government for construction of seven lakh houses and state and Central governments decided to give subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh to each beneficiary.

He told the House that government had decided to construct five lakh houses and administrative sanction was given for construction of 4.54 lakh houses and 77,000 houses were completed by the end of the TDP term in 2019. He has alleged that the YSRCP government after coming to power reduced the list of TIDCO houses to 2.62 lakh.

Referring to construction and quality of the houses, Narayana said the government launched Shear wall technology (that resists lateral forces like wind and earthquakes) for construction of houses and decided to set up granite stone in kitchen, use A grade vitrified tiles and ensure good quality. He said the government also planned community halls, shopping complex, police outpost in TIDCO housing projects but the YSRCP government had scrapped the proposals and stalled construction of houses causing huge loss to the beneficiaries.

Narayana said the contractors of the TIDCO projects had been asking for the release of bills and beneficiaries are asking the alliance government to complete the pending houses. He said bills worth Rs.540 crore is pending to the contractors.

He said many allegations were made during the YSRCP that the names of the beneficiaries were changed and real beneficiaries were denied the houses.

He said the NDA alliance government estimated that Rs 5,200 crore is need to provide basic infrastructure facilities in the TIDCO housing projects and the government is trying for loan from HUDCO or banks.

He assured the MLAs that the government would take steps for construction of TIDCO houses sanctioned in the TDP rule and allot houses to the real beneficiaries. M any beneficiaries have paid the money but the amount was not deposited into the banks and the government would enquire on the allegations, he added.