Unsold TNHB houses to be converted into rented houses: Muthusamy

CHENNAI: Minister of Housing and Urban Development Muthusamy on Tuesday said that unsold houses of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board would be soon converted into rented houses.

After inaugurating the Skill Development Programme for the newly appointed assistant directors of the DTCP here, he said that 8000 houses were unsold with the TNHB. “Some of them were sold and the rest would be converted into rented houses. We are taking steps in this regard,” the minister told reporters.

He said in future, the TNHB would undertake the housing projects after a thorough demand assessment for the housing units in the market. “We have also given instructions to ensure the quality of the structures is on par with the private developers,” he said.

On the new appointments, he said that there were 37 per cent and 35 per cent vacancies in the DTCP and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority affecting the work progress. “Out of the 48 assistant director posts in the DTCP, 28 were remaining vacant leading to the additional workload on the serving staff. With the appointment of 27 assistant directors, the workload will come down,” he said.

The new appointments would also help them ensure no deviation in the building construction for which they have given approvals, he said, adding that they would also be responsible for ensuring that no unauthorised buildings were constructed under the jurisdiction. The newly appointed ADs would undergo four weeks of training in Gujarat, New Delhi and in the state as well.