Modalities issued for Kalaignar's 'kanavu' of hut-free Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The State government has ‘released’ detailed guidelines and modalities for implementing the Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam Thittam (KKIT – Kalaignar’s dream housing scheme) under which it would fund one lakh houses this fiscal to achieve its goal of making Tamil Nadu hut free.

According to a circular dated May 27, issued by P Ponniah, director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department to all district collectors, the minimum plinth area of the house constructed under the Rs 3,100 crore KKIT must be 360 sqft, including kitchen and about 300 sqft must be covered with RCC (reinforced cement concrete) roofing and the remaining 60 sqft RCC or any other type of roof with non-inflammable materials as per the beneficiary’s choice.

Roofs with thatches/asbestos sheet/mud mortar/mud wall have been strictly prohibited under the scheme which offers unit cost assistance of Rs 3.5 lakh per house. In the case of hilly areas, the roof (RCC, PUF panels or GI sheet) preferred by the beneficiary could be laid and the house walls must be constructed using country bricks, fly ash bricks, solid blocks, interlocking blocks or AAC blocks with framed structure using cement mortar, said the circular, copy of which is available with DT Next.

Also, Kalaignar Veetu Vasadhi Thittam (KVVT) resurvey and the new hut survey database is available on the rural development website.

Huts identified under the HFA survey will be made available on the TNRD website shortly. Only the said databases would be considered for the allocation of houses under the scheme.

Eligible households not listed in the above surveys would be considered and the committee must verify the eligibility as per the guidelines and place it before the gram sabha.

A village panchayat-level committee comprising presidents, AE or block engineer, zonal deputy Block Development Officer, overseer and ward member of the village panchayats concerned would assess the eligibility of households at the field level.

The committee must inspect the huts enlisted in the KVVT survey to assess eligibility and recommend the list of beneficiaries to the BDO.

Village panchayats consisting of a pendency of more than 25-50 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (G) would be considered for allocation this year. The rural development directorate has advised the collectors to ensure a habitation-wise saturation approach in house allocation and send block/village-wise allocation of KKIT for 2024-25 on or before May 31.