The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Quality marks the housing scheme

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Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Quality marks the housing scheme

M. Balaganessin

For the rehabilitation of tsunami-hit fishermen

—Photo: M. Moorthy.

Well Done: Houses constructed under Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Programme at Gopalpattinam in Pudukkottai District.

PUDUKOTTAI: Though Pudukottai district lagged far behind in implementing the housing programme for rehabilitation of the Tsunami-hit fishermen under the Centrally-sponsored ‘Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Programme’ (RGRP), the quality in the construction techniques has come as a great relief to the affected.

The ‘bhoomi puja’ for a total of 2,324 houses was performed in January this year. Undeterred by several constraints, especially bringing in the raw materials from distant places such as Karur and Tiruchi, the execution of the work, divided into about 20 packages, was taken up in full swing. Each house has a plinth area of 325 sq. feet and is being constructed at an estimate of Rs.2.38 lakhs.

With the unforeseen spurt in the prices of construction materials, the execution of the programme , however, presents a mixed bag. While the work has been in full swing in villages such as Gopalapattinam near Meemisal, it has been in low profile in Kottaipattinam and surrounding areas.

In fact, plastering of the houses had been completed and other minor works of fitting pipelines and providing power connections need to be completed at Gopalapattinam.

Officials have taken special steps for the expeditious construction of the houses without any further delay. “The work on 1,853 houses is in different stages; realising the rise in the prices of steel, we have been supplying this raw material for expeditious construction of a total of 471 houses. We have also called for re-tender for 152 houses which is under scrutiny,” says the Executive Engineer, Tsunami District Implementation Unit, Pudukottai, P. R. Jayaprakash.

In the meanwhile, the construction of quality houses has become a neighbour’s envy for a section of the villagers. Several villagers, who had earlier opted out of the housing rehabilitation scheme, suspecting the quality, have been pleading with the district administration to include them for the housing programme.

The District Collector Reeta Harish Thakkar said that special care had been taken to provide basic amenities, including roads, drainage and street-lights, at all these packages. The district administration has taken all steps to expedite the work well before the onset of the forthcoming monsoon.

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