With the State Government making allocations in the budget for the   Broadway and Ernakulam Market Heritage and Urban Renewal Project, the Kochi Corporation authorities are planning to start its implementation by April. 

The project was sanctioned in 2010 under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal  Mission (JNNURM) at an estimated cost of Rs 22 crore. But the delay in the  launch resulted in cost escalation taking the total project cost to  Rs 34 crore.

“Though the State Government had given in-principle nod for the tender  excess, the project was at a standstill. The decision to allot the work to  Marymatha Construction Company was taken after scrutinising the tenders.

But, we were not able to allot the work owing to the delay in allotting  state’s share for the project. The Union Government’s share will be 50 per cent of the total project cost. Out of the remaining 50 per cent, 30 per cent will have to be contributed by the State Government,” said a top corporation official.

He said that now with the government allotting funds for projects under  JNNURM, the Broadway renovation project will soon be awarded. The State Government has set aside Rs 471.17 crore for the JNNURM projects that will be carried out in Thiruvanathapuram and Kochi. The Ernakulam Market Heritage and Urban Renewal Project mainly aims at the beautification of the Broadway and the Ernakulam Market without interrupting the heritage value and character of the existing structures. Introduction of proper waste management, beautification of the walkways and providing roofing for the area are other key components of the project.

The Fort Kochi and Mattanchery Heritage Conservation Programme will be officially launched by April this year. The Rs 51 crore heritage conservation programme, mainly aims at protection, conservation and utilisation of heritage resources in Fort Kochi and Mattanchery area. The project is being implemented with the help of UNESCO, the French city of Lorient and Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation (IHCNF).

“A three-day workshop will be held in the second week of April in Kochi, which will be attended by representatives of the entire agencies who are associating with this project,” said a Corporation official. The total project cost is estimated at Rs 51 crore. The other key components of the project include the improvement of street lighting to ensure maximum safety, revamping and modifying the streets of Mattanchery and other heritage buildings in the area without affecting the heritage value.

Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) venture to allot 6,190 low-cost housing units and Karnataka Housing Board’s (KHB) initiative to construct 3,000 flats in and around the city are likely to affect the realty sector in the city.

Infrastructure expert Dr Ashwin Mahesh said, “As the BDA and the KHB acquire land at a lower price, the cost of housing units will naturally be lower and private developers cannot sell flats at the cost at which the BDA and the KHB sell their units. Their (private developers’) business is likely to be affected. It is said that the BDA’s allotments have benefited the middlemen and speculators at the cost of farmers and private developers, and it is not likely to change this time as well. Many plots allotted by the BDA continue to remain vacant.”

Low-cost units at half the cost?

Housing consultant Prashanth Sambargi said, “According to the advertisement issued by the BDA, it is planning to allot three-bedroom houses at `23 lakh and `27 lakh, whereas private developers charge at least `50 lakh for a three-bedroom house in the city. Moreover, people who buy flats from government agencies can be secure as they will not face any title disputes. Therefore, most of the people would prefer to buy flats from the BDA even if the quality of construction would not be as good as that of private developers.”

Sambargi said Bangalore Residential Report, published by a private realty agency, showed 20,600 housing units were consumed in the city in 2011 and around 55,000 housing units were still available.

On an average, Bangalore consumed around 25,000 housing units annually and a majority of them were low-cost units. If more than 9,000 units were made available in the market by government agencies, private builders would be greatly affected, he said.

Houses to benefit people, says BDA

BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt, said, “If we are providing housing units at lower prices we should be happy about it as it will benefit the people.”

The BDA has invited applications for allotting 4,388 single-bedroom flats, 1,170 two-bedroom flats and 632 three-bedroom flats at different places in the city and will issue applications from March 25. The BDA has reserved 2,194 single-bedroom flats from the total 4,388 units under different categories. The KHB has proposed to construct over 3,000 low-cost housing units in Suryanagar II Phase, Yelahanka, Devenahalli and Kengeri.