Uttam Promises Fair Housing Allotment for Poor

Nalgonda: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday announced that the application process for allotment of houses constructed at Ramaswami Gutta in Huzurnagar of Suryapet district will commence on Thursday. He said a transparent and merit-based process would be followed to ensure that homeless families benefit from the housing scheme.

Along with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy inspected the new housing colony located at Ramaswami Gutta on the outskirts of Huzurnagar. Spread over 115 acres, the colony comprises 2,160 houses being constructed by the State government.

Addressing a meeting on the occasion, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the housing project would be completed by the end of March and developed as a model housing colony for the entire state. He said construction was being carried out with strict quality standards and without any profit motive, as the houses were meant for the poor.

He directed district officials, including collector Tejas Nandlal Pawar, to ensure complete transparency in the allotment process and warned against any political interference. Engineers were instructed to closely monitor construction quality, with strict action promised in case of lapses. He said the colony would eventually become a self-contained urban settlement with facilities such as a school, anganwadi centre, community hall and sports grounds.

Recalling the origins of the project, Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was initiated during his tenure as housing minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh after acquiring land from the endowments department. He alleged that the previous BRS government had stalled the project for years due to political reasons. With the Congress government now in power, he said the project was being fast-tracked to realise the long-pending vision.

Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy lauded Uttam Kumar Reddy’s commitment to housing for the poor and said that apart from the 2,160 houses under construction at Ramaswami Gutta, an additional 3,500 houses have been sanctioned for the Huzurnagar Assembly constituency, taking the total to 5,660 houses.

Later, Uttam Kumar Reddy inspected the Advanced Training Centre (ATC) and ITI in Huzurnagar, where ₹50 crore has been allocated for infrastructure upgrades. He interacted with 172 trainees and assured them of employment opportunities after completion of vocational courses. He also directed the collector to immediately address issues related to transportation and restroom facilities.

The minister also distributed Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak cheques worth ₹1.71 crore to beneficiaries at a programme held at the RDO office. He reviewed the progress of other development works, including a degree college, junior college, roads, residential buildings, a shopping complex, and irrigation and roads division offices, and urged officials to expedite their completion.

Miryalaguda MLA B. Laxma Reddy and senior district officials were also present.