The Hindu   18.08.2012

Allottees vacating TNHB flats to get priority in new housing scheme

Allottees vacating the Tamil Nadu Housing Board’s
Government Rental Housing Scheme (TNGRHS) flats in Race Course area,
after finding them unfit and unsafe, will be given priority for house
allotment in the proposed TNGRHS coming up near Kavundampalayam, said K.
Phanindra Reddy, Secretary to Government for Urban Development.

Tamil
Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) has served notices on allottees residing in
apartments under the rental scheme in Race Course asking them to vacate
the houses in order to raze down the structures in dangerous condition.

Maintenance

Plagued
by lack of adequate maintenance over the last 35 years owing to lack of
funds, the TNHB has come to a conclusion based on an expert committee
report that many of the houses are unfit and unsafe for human
occupation. Many of the houses in the past had witnessed incidents of
sunshade crashing down and balconies coming down besides concrete
patches peeling off from the structure.

TNHB has also
made it clear that refusal to vacate the houses and continuing to stay
in them was at the risk of the allottees and the board has disclaimed
any responsibility arising out of the occupation of the houses that have
now turned unfit and unsafe for occupation.

To begin
with, of the 900 houses in DFO compound, DRO compound and Thomas Park,
the TNHB has identified houses with immediate threat for razing down. Of
them, 108 houses come under DFO compound and 222 houses are in Thomas
Park.

Fresh applicants

Mr. Phanindra Reddy told
The Hindu
during his visit to Coimbatore on Friday, that the TNHB was constructing
more than 2,000 houses under the Tamil Nadu Government Rental Housing
Scheme reconstruction project at Kavundampalayam. The numbers of houses
are more in this particular project. The existing allottees in various
other schemes, where the houses are found unfit or unsafe for
accommodation, who come forward to vacate them will be given priority in
allotment of houses than the new comers i.e., fresh applicants, he
said.

Discussion

Managing
Director of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board V. Chandrasekharan
accompanied the Secretary and the officials had a discussion with the
District Collector M. Karunagaran on identifying land for the slum
clearance board projects. They later visited the ongoing projects at
Ammankulam and Ukkadam.

• TNHB has served notices on allottees residing in apartments at Race Course
•  Buildings in dangerous condition to be razed down