Funds approved to build 11 lakh houses in Bengal, Real Estate News, ET Real Estate

Kolkata: Bengal has completed approval for the construction of nearly 11 lakh houses in rural areas, which is about 97.4% of the target set by the Ministry of Rural Development, within a month. In late November, the Center had approved Rs 8,200 crore for the construction of 11.3 lakh housing units in Bengal.

The figures are much better than some BJP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Assam. UP has achieved 81.3% of the target, while Gujarat has achieved 68.4% and Assam 71%. PMAY (Rural).

Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi held a meeting with district officials on Monday to ensure that construction of all 11.3 lakh houses is completed by March 31. The money for construction of houses will be released by this week.

BDOs and district officers have been asked to do regular monitoring. Earlier it was decided that ‘Housing Week’ would be organized from 10th to 15th of every month from January to March, in which district officials would conduct intensive inspections. Beneficiaries constructing large houses in violation of PMAY may be stopped during such inspections.

Officials said they have been asked to keep enough raw material in stock to avoid delay in construction. They also have to check whether geo-tagging has been done or not.

An official said that the construction up to the window sill should be completed within 40 days of the disbursement of funds and that up to the lintel within the next 35 days. The rest of the house is to be completed within the next 15 days. Beneficiaries can directly purchase their raw material for quick completion of houses. The officers have been told that there should be no extortion during the purchase of raw material, for this the BDO will have to go on a special tour.

‘Awas Bandhu’ will make special visits from house to house. The DM has to review progress in various gram panchayats on a weekly basis, and also monitor daily reports on expenditure and construction status. A ‘Samadhan Mela’ will also be organized to resolve issues like material shortage, labor payment, fund transfer and linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar.