COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Jethmalani seeks to expedite housing schemes

Urban Affairs and Employment Minister Ram Jethmalani has instructed senior officials of his ministry to visit various states and monitor the progress of housing schemes under the new National Housing and Habitat Policy.

This would be in addition to the close monitoring of the housing projects by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation through its zonal and regional offices.

Jethmalani has directed the senior officials to visit the states allocated to them frequently. The minister himself would review the progress monthly. Each official would coordinate the action plan for housing in more than one state.

Sources said the officials would gather first-hand information on the number of houses constructed by each state during 1997-98, additional houses planned in respective states to achieve the additional target, review problems faced by states with HUDCO.

They will also undertake field visits to give a feedback about the problems of houses, quality and number of people benefited. They would also ascertain facts about the degree of beneficiary satisfaction.

The BJP-led coalition government had in its National Agenda for Governance promised to construct two million houses annually for the economically weaker sections and low-income groups.

Many schemes have been launched in different states as part of the government's effort to meet the housing shortage.

Some 13 million houses are to be constructed in rural areas and 700,000 in urban areas annually. These houses would be over and above those being built by various cooperative societies, state housing boards and the private sector.

The government has also been toying with the idea of inviting foreign investments on a large-scale in the housing sector to boost housing activity.

UNI

Business news