AP State Govt. Asks Collectors to Fast-Track Housing Project Works – AP Real Estate News
The Andhra Pradesh State Government had drawn out plans to construct more than 30 lakh housing units in 17,000 housing colonies across the state. The housing project would be constructed in 2 different phases. The initial work for the first phase had already begun before it was stayed by a high court order. As part of the first phase, approximately 15 lakh housing units will be constructed. The first phase work can now be resumed and the government has ordered the respective district collectors to increase the pace of work for the first phase of construction.
On 1st December, the state government of Andhra Pradesh received clearance to continue with the construction of the first phase of the housing scheme. The first phase construction work on the project began in the month of June last year but was eventually stopped following a verdict passed by a single judge bench of the AP High Court. The high court had listened to more than 100 petitioners who challenged a few guidelines of the housing scheme (Navaratnalu-Pedalandiriki Illu scheme) and issued the verdict asking the state government to not continue first phase construction work without conducting environmental impact assessment first.
The state government filed an appeal against the verdict delivered by the single-judge stating the verdict to stop construction was beyond the scope of the problems faced by the petitioners who had initially moved the high court on the issue of house sites. The high-court allowed the appeal from the state government to be filed as the state government had already invested a lot of funds and the beneficiaries of the housing scheme would be delayed in receiving their benefits if the construction was stopped until an acceptable verdict was reached.
The petitioners then said they did not have a problem with the housing scheme if the government allots house sites to them. The state government claimed the petitioners made attempts to delay the distribution of house sites to the poor and finally the government succeeded in fair distribution of house sites by overcoming legal obstacles. Eventually the high court allowed the state government to restart construction work on the first phase of Navaratnalu-Pedalandiriki Illu housing scheme. Now that the government can carry on with the scheme, it has asked the housing joint collectors to resume work at full pace.
The government is currently aiming to complete the construction of the first phase of the housing scheme by Sankranti 2022 and the second phase of the project will target completion by June 2023. All officials involved in documentation & processing of the housing scheme have been instructed to prioritize the project, ensure work progress in-line with government issued timeline and monitor work progress on a day-to-day basis.
