Thiruvananthapuram: The homeless in the state will soon have their dream homes built by Nirmithi Kendra with pre-fabricated materials outsourced from China. The houses planned by the LDF Government under its ambitious ‘Project LIFE’ (Livelihood, Inclusion, Financial Empowerment) will benefit two lakh people in the next five years. The two-bedroom, 400-square-feet home will be available at a price of Rs 4 lakh. This is for the first time that the government-owned Nirmithi Kendra has come out with such a novel scheme and it has constructed a model home at its headquarters in PTP Nagar here.
Though the pre-fab materials are currently outsourced from China, Nirmithi Kendra director K. N. Satheesh told DC that they were trying to develop an indigenous technology. “In the existing pre-fab structure, there's a space where thermocol has been used, but we are trying to bring in coir fibre instead and further lower the price,” said Mr. Satheesh who is also the housing commissioner.
He added that the pre-fab structures will be launched within a month. Nirmithi Kendra officials are giving finishing touches, including landscaping in front of the pre-fab home. The vitrified tiled home comprises a stand-out instead of a sit-out, a hall, two bedrooms with a common bathroom and a kitchen. Nirmithi Kendra officials vouch that the structure which has a vertical column that acts as a frame can withstand natural calamities like earthquake. It can be custom-made as per requirements. When the mass housing scheme is implemented, the total cost can be further reduced as the infrastructure would be mass- produced, the officials said.
