Indiramma housing flats in Telangana will be allotted solely on eligibility, with no political consideration, state revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on Wednesday. He was speaking at the foundation-stone ceremony for Indiramma housing towers at Pocharam in Medchal-Malkajgiri district.
The minister said 480 beneficiaries in Medchal constituency had been selected through a public draw after online applications were scrutinised and applicants’ eligibility was verified. The low-income group flats are intended for eligible local residents who do not already own homes.
Ponguleti said the Telangana government was committed to providing housing to the urban poor in the areas where they currently live, rather than shifting them to distant locations outside the city. Such relocation, he said, had affected residents’ livelihoods and access to employment.
The first phase of the Indiramma housing scheme in the CURE area aims to construct one lakh houses in stages. The tender process for works in 23 constituencies has been completed, while foundation stones have been laid at six locations, according to the minister. Applications for the second phase of Indiramma towers in the CURE area will be invited soon.
Selected tower beneficiaries will receive registered ownership of their flats along with the associated share of land. The minister said registration charges would not be imposed. The government aims to complete the flats and hand over keys to first-phase beneficiaries by the Bathukamma festival next year.
Ponguleti said applicants who were not selected in the first phase, including new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria, would be considered in subsequent phases. He also directed officials to complete unfinished double-bedroom houses constructed during the previous BRS government and allot vacant units to eligible poor families.
The minister said approximately ₹440 crore had already been spent on infrastructure in double-bedroom housing colonies. Across the rural component of the Indiramma scheme, 4.50 lakh houses were sanctioned in the first phase, with financial assistance of ₹5 lakh per house. More than 2.20 lakh houses had been completed, while a further 2.50 lakh houses were sanctioned in the second phase, he said.
The foundation-stone ceremony was also attended by industries and IT minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, MP Eatela Rajender, MLA Ch Malla Reddy and MLC P Mahender Reddy. The next stated milestone for the urban housing programme is the opening of applications for the second phase and the completion of first-phase flats before the announced handover timeline.
