
TIDCO houses distribution by Diwali: Narayana
Ongole: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana announced that the pending construction works of TIDCO houses will be completed and houses will be handed over to the beneficiaries by Diwali festival.
He held a review meeting on the activities related to Ongole Urban Development Authority at the Collectorate here on Friday. Later addressing the media, Minister Narayana explained that the TIDCO houses are being constructed in three categories with areas of 300, 365, and 430 square feet. He announced that houses measuring 365 and 430 square feet will be completed first and delivered to beneficiaries by Diwali.
He alleged that the previous government had raised bank loans in beneficiaries' names without providing houses, leading to non-performing assets (NPAs) in bank accounts. After Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's instructions and paying Rs 140 crore to the banks, the Minister explained that the banks enabled the beneficiaries to take out fresh loans. He said the construction activities have commenced across the State, with L&T representatives expected to begin construction work in Prakasam district within the next 15 days.
The MAUD Minister announced that four of the eight and a half million tons of waste accumulated State-wide during the previous government's tenure had been recycled already, and the remaining will be recycled by October 2. He informed that tenders have been called for to provide safe drinking water through taps in the State. He said that within four years, every household will receive water from surface sources like rivers rather than borewells.
Narayana said for road expansion in Ongole, TDR (Transferable Development Rights) bonds will be provided to affected parties. He emphasised the government's commitment to creating 20 lakh jobs as promised, focusing on bringing industries to the state. He said that free bus travel for women will begin from August 15, as announced by the Chief Minister. He said that the government is coordinating with the Central government to provide financial assistance to farmers. He announced that they are planning to extend Anna Canteens, which are addressing hunger among the poor and currently serving 2.25 lakh people daily, to the rural areas.
Joint Collector R Gopalakrishna, Markapur MLA K Narayana Reddy, Ongole Mayor Gangada Sujatha, Deputy Mayor Vemuri Suryanarayana, Ongole Municipal Commissioner K Venkateswar Rao, and Urban Development Authority officials attended the review meeting.
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