Congress accuses BRS Govt of cheating the homeless families on 2BHK promise

Hyderabad, July 11: The Congress party has levelled serious allegations against the BRS Government, accusing it of betraying countless homeless families who were promised 2BHK houses.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Official Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin highlighted the BRS Government’s negligence and its failure to fulfill promises made to the weaker sections over the course of the past nine years. He said that the TRS (now BRS) Government, led by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, had promised double-bedroom houses for the underprivileged when it came to power in 2014. However, he pointed out that even after nine years, there is still no clarity on when the 2BHK units would be handed over to the lakhs of applicants waiting across Telangana. “The BRS Govt has not only failed to construct adequate number of houses for the weaker sections but has also failed to complete the construction of sanctioned houses,” he said. “Not even 10% of constructed houses have been handed over to the beneficiaries.”

Citing information from the Intensive Household Survey (IHS) conducted by the KCR Government in August 2014, the TPCC spokesperson highlighted the dire situation. Out of the total 91 lakh households in Telangana, 45 lakh reside in single-bedroom houses, 24 lakh live in rented homes, and 27 lakh families have no homes at all. The population estimate has also increased from 3.51 crore in 2011 to approximately 3.81 crore presently, exacerbating the housing crisis.

Nizamuddin also raised concerns over the Dignity Housing Scheme launched in 2015. The scheme, which has an estimated spending of Rs 19,32,832 Cr, has sanctioned only 2,91,057 houses out of which 1,29,528 have been constructed, 58,350 are in final stages, and 40,651 are under construction. He said the construction of the remaining units has come to a halt due to the State Government’s failure to clear the dues of over Rs. 500 crore to the contractors. Further, he said an additional Rs. 7,500 crore were needed to complete the remaining houses. The BRS Government has already taken a loan of Rs. 9,800 crores from HUDCO, which negates the possibility of getting any fresh loan, he said.

Addressing the state of the 2BHK Scheme within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, Nizamuddin stated that out of the 1 lakh houses sanctioned and 7,09,718 applications received, only 68,176 2BHK units have reportedly been completed. Furthermore, Rs. 2,846.91 crore is required to complete the remaining 30% houses. There is no clarity on when these funds will be released and the deadline by which the remaining units would be constructed, he said.

“CM KCR inaugurated 15,600 units at Kollur and Ramachandrapuram, but keys were handed over to only 5-6 beneficiaries. What about the remaining 15,600 beneficiaries?” Nizamuddin questioned, highlighting that the housing project’s inauguration on June 22 seemed more like a public relations exercise. The spokesperson demanded an explanation from the BRS Government regarding when the Kollur project, touted as Asia’s largest township, will be handed over to the intended beneficiaries.

Nizamuddin also criticized the BRS Government for the delayed implementation of the Gruhalaxmi Scheme. He pointed out that in its 2018 election manifesto, the BRS party had promised financial assistance ranging from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh for economically disadvantaged individuals who owned plots and aspired to construct their own houses. However, he revealed that the scheme has since been modified, with the BRS Government now intending to provide only Rs. 3 lakh for house construction. Nizamuddin highlighted the impracticality of constructing an independent house with just Rs. 3 lakh, especially considering that a 2BHK unit within a multi-apartment structure costs over Rs. 7 lakh.

“While the BRS Govt was unable to construct even 2.91 lakh sanctioned houses, the previous Congress Government completed a total of 22,89,829 (22.89 lakh) houses from 2004-2014, as per the Telangana State Housing Corporation website,” he claimed.Nizamuddin demanded that the BRS Govt release a White Paper on the 2BHK Scheme detailing houses sanctioned, constructed and those under construction, district-wise details of total applications received, approved and the number of beneficiaries who actually got the 2BHK unit, and a specific deadline by which all 2.91 lakh units would be handed over to the beneficiaries. (Maxim News)

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