Govt promises quality houses

2 lakh units planned for flood victims through public-private partnership

The model has been prepared by the housing department along with the task force on quality construction. Under the proposed scheme, each individual will get a single house with 250 sq ft built up area on a 30/50 ft dimension plot. Each of these single bed-room houses will also have a living room, a bath room and a kitchen. Toilet will be constructed separately in a corner of the backyard.

Provision is also made for construction of a ‘jagali’ (platform) in the front, next to the front door. The rest of the area will be left vacant for the owners, mostly farmers, to set up cattle sheds or to carry out any farm-related activities, Housing Secretary G V Kongwad said. This model of house is estimated to cost around Rs 1 lakh each, and it can be constructed in 100 days.

The government has decided to construct two lakh houses in the flood-affected areas. While the government will bear the cost of one lakh houses, another one lakh will be constructed by various private organisations.  The government will provide land to these organisations. The model is awaiting the Chief Minister’s approval .

Mandatory testing
To ensure that the house withstands floods, soil testing has been made mandatory to decide the kind of foundation to be laid. Either stub columns or under-reamed piles is recommended as the foundation for the black cotton soil. These foundation types do not weaken the building even if it is built on black cotton soil, which expands in wet conditions and contract in dry conditions. The reason for the collapse of houses during the recent floods was weak foundation.

The house will have concrete roof with a minimum of 6 inch thickness. “The thicker the roof, the lesser will be the effect of heat. People should not use stone slabs, timbers and mud for roofing. Efforts are still on to make these houses cooler. The entire design is done as per the standards specified in the national building code,” task force chairman C S Vishwanath  said.

The government, after handing over the required land,  will ask  private organisations to follow these basic concepts while constructing  houses. If anyone wants to create more facilities, they are welcome, officials said.

The government has commenced land acquisition in Gulbarga, Bellary, Koppal, Raichur, Bijapur, Belgaum, Gadag, Dharwad and Haveri districts. These districts have been given Rs 2 crore each for this purpose. An estimated 12,000 acre is required for constructing two lakh houses, Kongwad said.

Brick by brick
* Govt still do not know exactly how many people lost their houses
* Each house to cost around Rs 1 lakh
* Requires a maximum of 100 days to construct
* Land acquisition has begun for site formation
* Construction may begin in a month