Indian Express 18.12.2009
LIG housing: now, project cost pegged at Rs 750 cr
After a two-year lull, construction of the low-income group (LIG) housing project in Pimpri Chinchwad has once again gathered pace. But the project that was originally to cost Rs 450 crore, is now estimated to cost Rs 750 crore.
Now, the first phase will cost Rs 396 crore. For the first phase, while the central government has so far given Rs 56.21 crore, the state government has not yet given its share. Initially, the central government share was Rs 225 crore, Rs 135 crore was the state government share and Rs 90 crore was to be given by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
The two-phase project will have 13,250 tenements and the beneficiaries would be people from economically weaker sections who need to pay only Rs 1.5 lakh per flat. Each flat actually costs Rs 5.5 lakh and the PCMC would pay Rs 4 lakh from its kitty. “I had initiated this proposal in 2006 and applied for funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal (JNNURM) scheme as an affordable housing scheme for urban poor. There were some issues like the land under the control of Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNDTA) had to be acquired. In 2008, the PCNDTA handed over 65 acres to the municipal corporation,” said Divisional Commissioner Dilip Band, who was then PCMC municipal commissioner.
Houses would be built on public-private partnership by giving the private developers an FSI of 2.5. Also, JNNURM had certain norms for constructing tenements under low-cost housing, which says that each unit should be of 325 sq. ft. But the PCMC is building flats of 550 sq ft and the carpet area will be 350 sq ft,” said a PCMC officer.
Currently, construction under the first phase of the LIG housing scheme is under way where 6,620 flats of 550 sq ft each would be built at Shahu Nagar. Each building would be of seven storeyes and would consist of 42 flats. The first phase will have as many as 160 such buildings. The project would take two years to complete. The residents would be provided facilities like internal roads, sealed gutters and a bus stop inside the campus.
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commisioner Asheesh Sharma said, “There is no delay, the project was sanctioned in 2008 and the construction work began on February 28.”
Our priority is to complete and hand over as many units that we can construct with the funds we have. Following up with the central and the state government for funds is a regular process that we will continue to do,” said Pimpri Chinchwad Mayor Yogesh Behl.
