Belgaum: The
state government will construct 12 lakh houses in the next five years
in an attempt to develop a slumfree Karnataka, said housing minister
M.H. Ambareesh. About 2.5 lakh houses will be constructed every year by
the government to achieve its target, he said.

At a press
conference in Belgaum on Tuesday, Mr Ambareesh said the government’s
mega housing projects will help homeless, poor people who are backward—
economically and socially.

He said, the government has chosen nine
cities including Belgaum to implement the Slum Development Project. An
estimated Rs 177 crore will be spent on the development of three slums
in Belgaum city. A satellite township for Belgaum is also on the anvil.

The
government is also planning to increase the subsidy for construction of
houses for the weaker sections from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh.

Housing projects like Basava, Ambedkar, Vajpayee and Indira Awas Yojana will be covered under the subsidy schemes.

The
minister said, the construction of houses had been slow in Belgaum due
to various reasons. Shortly, an alternative would be worked out to speed
up the projects, the minister added.