Nellore: Simhapuri Poura Samakhya to fight for allocating houses

Nellore: Now, a voluntary movement has started for achieving the houses constructed under the Housing for All scheme in the city. Simhapuri Poura Samakhya has been formed to mount pressure on the government for allocating the constructed houses. Even though the state government had planned to allocate the houses at the time of distributing pattas to the landless poor, it was delayed due to unknown reasons.

Crores of rupees have been spent on the programme for providing shelter to poor and the programme is being delayed due to political feuds. Now, the people who paid deposits for the houses are facing severe difficulties. The Samakhya is staging protests at various places for allocating houses to selected beneficiary.

In fact, the TDP government had sanctioned around 30,500 houses for Nellore city and around 8,600 houses have been completed by 2019. Another 20,000 houses were nearing completion. In Janardhan Reddy Colony, 4,800 houses have been completed in the first phase and another 6,600 houses were sanctioned for the second phase. There are similar projects in the entire district, and they are hanging in the balance.

Beneficiaries, who had paid huge deposits earlier for the affordable houses in the city, are still waiting for allocations. Around 35,000 people are on the list, are yet to get the sanction of house constructed by the then government under the Housing for All scheme. The entire programme stalled due to announcement of the YSR Congress government after coming to power. They assured the distribution of house sites rather than construction of housing complexes for them.

3,100 houses were constructed in Allipuram, around 600 houses in Akkacheruvu Padu, and others are at Kondlapudi and Kallurupalli areas. The beneficiaries have paid the beneficiary share as per the guidelines of government and the amount was ranging from around Rs. 500 to Rs 1 lakh depending on the plinth area of the house.

Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally conducted housewarming ceremony in February last year for 4,800 houses in Janardhan Reddy Colony in a hurry just before elections and handed over keys of 600 houses to beneficiaries on the same day. But the beneficiaries were asked to surrender the keys to complete the pending works. After winning the polls, the ruling YSRCP government neglected the woes of people since the works were started by the opposition, thinking the entire credit goes to them. Beneficiaries have fallen prey to the vicious politics where they are waiting for allocation of houses for more than a year. The project cost of JR Colony is around Rs 2,300 crore and so far, Rs 1,000 crore has been spent on it.

Now, the Samakhya leaders are taking up protests demanding allocation of houses irrespective of party stance, considering woes of poor. A member from Samakhya said they would continue stir till houses are handed over to poor. They are planning protests at apartments initially for mounting pressure on the government.