Tardy progress in 2BHK works annoys beneficiaries

Kothagudem: The people in the district were elated when the State government had announced the double bedroom housing scheme for the poorer sections of the people across the State. But at the same time they were disappointed at the slow pace at which the works are going on.

Saying that there is no dearth of funds as the government had released more funds for the scheme, the locals attributed the officials’ negligence as the cause for not completing the works within the schedule. They urged the officials concerned to complete the houses soon.

Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) engineering department taken up the construction works in four districts - Bhadradri- Kothagudem, Khammam, Jayashanker Bhupalpally and Mahabubabad. The government had sanctioned 7,459 houses for these four districts at an expenditure of Rs 37,614 lakhs. 

Of these, only 1, 654 houses were completed till date. 1,111 houses out of sanctioned 4,218 in Kothagudem district; 450 out of 2,469 houses in Khammam; 93 out of 442 houses in Jayashaker Bhupalpally; and not a single house out of the sanctioned 330 in Mahabubad was completed.

The construction of houses in Kothagudem district is at first level only. The contractors said the works were stopped as the bills were not cleared. In Bhadrachalam town, the works are going on at snail’s pace due to lack of monitoring by the officers. The works are at pillars stage and the people are questioning the officials when the houses will be completed and when they will be allotted to them.

Tribal leader S Venkaiah alleged that the works are not completed due to the officials’ lethargy. Stating that in fact the scheme is beneficial to the poor people present across the district, he said but no one knows when the houses will be allotted to them.

Executive Engineer DS Koti Reddy said the works are going on in district, under the control of ITDA and divisional engineers and junior engineers have been supervising the works progress. The bill payment is being delayed due to online payment,  but they are all cleared now, the EE said.

Construction works of 1,766 houses have not started yet and tenders for the construction of 1,256 houses have to be called. But he assured that the construction will be completed as per the schedule.