Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday inaugurated “Asia’s largest” government-funded housing complex on the outskirts of Hyderabad, and handed over 2BHK flats to at least six beneficiaries of the government’s scheme to provide pucca houses to all eligible houseless families in the below poverty line (BPL) category.
According to a government statement, the housing complex named ‘KCR Nagar’, at Kolluru in Ramachandrapuram block of Sangareddy district, has been constructed over a sprawling area of 145.50 acres at a cost of ₹ 1,432.50 crore and is Asia’s largest government-funded housing complex. It comprises 15,660 housing units across 117 blocks, with each unit consisting of two bedrooms with attached washrooms, a hall, a kitchen and a utility area within a plinth area of 560 sq ft.
Amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, Rao inaugurated the housing project in the presence of his cabinet colleagues, K T Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, Vemula Prashan Reddy, P Sabita Indra Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Rao and Ch Malla Reddy. Several MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, chief secretary A Santhi Kumari and senior government officials attended the brief ceremony.
“The government could take up such a massive housing project only because of the blessings of the people and their support,” KCR said later in the day while addressing another meeting at Patancheru.
Later, the chief minister planted a sapling at the complex and also conducted an inspection of the housing units and facilities. He handed over housing units allotted to six beneficiaries – Gaddameedi Renuka, Haisiya Begum, Mudawath Sharada, Pulligala Devi, Chakali Sujatha, and Ketavath Keerthi.
The double-bedroom housing scheme was formulated by the Telangana government in October 2015 with a view to provide 100% subsidised housing to the poor, according to the government’s website on the project. The construction for the Kollur project began in August 2017.
Under this scheme, the beneficiaries neither take a loan nor contribute for acquiring the dwelling unit. Applications for the project were routed through the local MLA and beneficiaries selected from the applicants based on various factors like lack of any dwelling unit for the family, income source of the household, etc.
At the housing complex, each block comprises 10 floors, equipped with staircases, two lifts, parking, quarters for watchmen, and fire-fighting arrangements. The housing project is covered with a road length of 13.50 km.
The government statement said that the complex has a massive water storage facility with a capacity of 21,000 kilo litres. Another salient feature is the underground electrical cables, apart from the electric ring main, to restore power from alternate networks during repairs.
Authorities have also constructed a sewerage treatment plant (of 9 MLD capacity) at a cost of ₹ 10 crore.
Some other features include 137 transformers, 528 poles and 11 high mast poles for street lighting and three shopping complexes with 118 shops. There are parks with cycling and walking tracks, a bus terminal, a fire station, petrol bunks, basthi dawakhanas (colony clinics), integrated hospital, open-air gyms, an indoor sports complex, amphitheater, playschools, anganwadi centres, primary and high schools, banks, ATMs and a post office.
According to the government, around 63% of the township is allocated for open spaces, including roads, footpaths, playgrounds, social infrastructure and landscaping. About 30,000 trees have been planted across the township, ensuring ample greenery.
