Eligibility alone will decide allocation of flats in Indiramma towers, says Ponguleti | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: The Telangana govt would ensure equal development across all constituencies, irrespective of whether they were represented by ruling Congress or opposition parties, revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on Wednesday.Eligibility alone would determine the allocation of Indiramma houses, with no room for political considerations, he said.Speaking after laying the foundation stone for Indiramma housing towers at Pocharam in Medchal-Malkajgiri district, along with industries and IT minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, MP Eatela Rajender, MLA Ch Malla Reddy and MLC P Mahender Reddy, Ponguleti said the govt was committed to providing dignified housing to the urban poor in the areas where they currently lived.“The Congress govt is trying to end the practice of shifting urban poor to distant locations outside the city, which used to affect their livelihoods and employment opportunities. The first phase of Indiramma housing scheme in the CURE area aims to construct one lakh houses in a phased manner, with the tender process completed for works in 23 constituencies so far. Foundation stones have already been laid at six locations,” he said.The minister said 480 beneficiaries in Medchal constituency were selected through a transparent public draw after online applications were scrutinised and eligibility verified. The LIG flats were being allotted only to eligible local residents who did not already own homes.He said 4.50 lakh Indiramma houses had been sanctioned in the first phase in rural areas, with financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for each house. Construction of more than 2.20 lakh houses had been completed so far, while another 2.50 lakh houses had been sanctioned in the second phase in rural areas. Applications for the second phase of Indiramma towers in the CURE area would be invited soon, he added.Ponguleti said selected beneficiaries of the towers would receive registered ownership of their flats, including the associated land share, without registration charges. The govt aimed to complete the flats and hand over keys to first-phase beneficiaries by the Bathukamma festival next year.He assured those who missed out in the first phase that eligible applicants, including new applicants, would be considered in subsequent phases. He also directed officials to complete unfinished double-bedroom houses constructed during the previous BRS govt tenure and allot vacant units to eligible poor families. Around ₹440 crore had already been spent on infrastructure in double-bedroom housing colonies, he added.