Complete 2BHK houses; clear pending bills: MLAs to Minister

Hyderabad: MLAs irrespective of party affiliations and also Speaker Gaddam Prasad sought the Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy to complete the double bedroom houses and clear the pending dues in their constituencies.

The Minister that the government would distribute houses to eligible poor in three phases.

Several MLAs from Congress, BJP and also the Speaker raised the issue of clearance of pending bills pertaining to the 2BHK houses constructed under the previous government as well as those completed in the initial tenure of the present government during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Saturday.

The Minister said that there was no delay in clearance of pending bills. As on date, there was no pending bill in urban areas and in respect of rural colonies bills for an amount of Rs 122.43 crore were awaiting clearance. In view of complaints on the earlier executed works, payments were being released case by case on due verification.

The Congress members B Lakshma Reddy, K Jaiveer Reddy, Makhan Singh Raj Thakur, Beerla Ailaiah, Kasireddy Narayan Reddy, Gandra Satyanarayana, Payam Venkateshwarlu, Danam Nagender, BJP members Palwai Harish Babu, Dhanpal Suryanarayana Reddy, Paidi Rakesh Reddy and also the Speaker pointed out delays in payment of bills. The Speaker suggested the Minister hold a meeting next week with the MLAs after the sessions to clear the doubts on housing and take a decision.

Srinivasa Reddy said that a total of Rs 204 crore was pending. In about 133 colonies, 36,000 houses were in different stages. The government released Rs 744 crore for completing the houses and also providing infrastructure. Referring to the BRS activists, the Minister alleged that the previous government provided houses to the pink colour shirts. He said that if there were any bills pending for the basement of the building, he would talk to the Chief Minister and take a decision.

Srinivasa Reddy said that the former Chief Minister adopted a village in Vasalamarri and demolished the houses and promised new houses, but left them in lurch. The Congress government constructed houses and handed them over to the beneficiaries. He informed that over 3 lakh houses were in different stages and 52,000 were ready for Gruha Praveshams. The houses which were constructed and not allotted during the previous government will be handed over to the eligible poor.

He said that the government would soon announce an urban policy.

He said that if the previous government constructed one lakh houses every year the state would have had 10 lakh houses but they were concentrating only on the Kaleshwaram commissions. He assured to hold a meeting with the MLAs after the session.