Chennai gets 1,152 tenements to house urban poor

Chennai

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selecting Tamil Nadu under the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) after the PM launched the project through video conferencing, Palaniswami said that the tenements will be allotted to the urban poor slum families living on the banks of waterways and others who have been evicted for encroaching lands in Chennai.

The project will include social amenities like a ration shop, two anganwadi centres, a library, a milk depot and six shops. It will also have dedicated sewage treatment plant and an electrical sub-station. “Work will be completed within 15 months. The technology will ensure eco-friendly construction fit for diverse climatic quality standards and disaster-proof houses,” Palaniswami said.

Recalling that former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, in her vision 2023 document, had plans to make TN free from slums and also provide housing for all, he said that the TN which has about 48 per cent of urban population is on a mission to free the State from slums.

“Under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana scheme the State is closely working with the Centre and recently sanctioned an additional sum of Rs 70,000 to each house, increasing the unit cost from Rs 1.70 lakh to Rs 2.40 lakh, costing the State government Rs 1,805 crore for constructing 2.5 lakh houses,” Palaniswami said.