Rajaji Nagar housing allotment in Thiruvananthapuram has been delayed because the Kerala Water Authority has not yet provided a water connection to a completed 32-apartment rehabilitation block, holding up the occupation of homes built under the Smart City redevelopment project.
The first phase of the project, implemented by Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), consists of a four-storey building with 32 two-bedroom apartments. The building was constructed at a cost of around Rs 9 crore and has already received its power connection. However, the pending water connection has prevented SCTL from completing the final allotment and occupation process.
A senior SCTL official said arrangements for allotting the flats and shifting beneficiaries were nearing completion. The remaining process can be taken up immediately after the water connection is provided, the official said. The corporation expects to begin shifting beneficiaries within about two months after the allotment process starts.
The homes are intended partly for families who were temporarily relocated to facilitate construction. Their return to permanent accommodation depends on the completion of the water-supply connection and the subsequent allotment process.
A KWA official acknowledged that the connection had not yet been completed and said steps were being taken to provide it at the earliest. The official did not provide a specific date for completion in the information available.
The delay comes after the first phase crossed the construction stage. SCTL officials had said in July that the apartment block was ready for occupation except for the pending KWA connection and that the allotment process had been initiated.
The housing block is part of the wider redevelopment of Rajaji Nagar, which covers 12.6 acres and is home to hundreds of families living in ageing and substandard housing. The integrated redevelopment plan provides for 248 new housing units along with internal roads, stormwater drainage, parking and community facilities.
The first phase had originally been targeted for completion in 2025. While construction and electricity provision for the first block have been completed, the pending utility connection has kept the apartments from being handed over to residents.
SCTL said the allotment and shifting process could move forward once the KWA connection is completed. The next formal milestones are the provision of the water connection, final allotment of the apartments and the shifting of eligible beneficiaries.
