Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday said a model colony for the poor will be constructed in Velugumatla in Khammam district headquarters, in such a way that it would be an inspiration for other states to emulate the model.The deputy CM, along with housing and revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, all three from Khammam district, distributed house site pattas and sanctioned Indiramma houses to the families who were affected by the demolition drive against encroachments on Bhoodan land in Velugumatla of Khammam urban mandal in the district. The programme was held in Khammam town.Though opposition parties alleged over 700 families were evicted from the Bhoodan land, 412 families, who were identified as eligible beneficiaries in Velugumatla, were given house site pattas at the same site. The Congress govt also sanctioned Indiramma houses to them and promised to build a model colony. In addition, 101 poor beneficiaries from different districts were granted permission letters to construct Indiramma houses on land available in their respective villages.Bhatti said the remaining 16 acres of land in Velugumatla, after distributing house sites to the poor, would be utilised for the construction of a Telangana Public School and other govt educational institutions.“The govt will not only construct Indiramma houses for the poor on Bhoodan land, but will also provide all basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water, roads, a hospital, a community hall, and a shopping complex,” Bhatti said.The Deputy CM instructed officials to begin the construction of Indiramma houses from Thursday (March 12) and ensure that the construction of the model colony was completed by Dec 9. The three ministers together would invite chief minister A Revanth Reddy to the house-warming ceremonies in the model colony on Dec 9, Bhatti said.Stating that this project reflects the govt’s commitment to the poor, Bhatti criticised the previous BRS govt for not delivering on its promise of providing 2-BHK houses to the poor. “For 10 years, the BRS kept promising 2-BHK houses to the poor, but not a single house was delivered in many districts, making the poor wait endlessly and ultimately disappointed. Those who failed to deliver even a single house have no moral right to criticise the present govt,” Bhatti said.The state cabinet led by Revanth Reddy resolved that every poor person living in the state must have an Indiramma house. As part of this vision, the govt sanctioned 22,500 crore for constructing 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses for the poor. “The opposition is deliberately spreading misinformation and trying to malign the govt because they do not want the poor to benefit from such welfare initiatives. For several years, a mafia network in Velugumatla collected money from poor people and ran a parallel system without providing even basic facilities. The govt has now taken steps to ensure that the poor can live with dignity and self-respect,” Bhatti said.The Congress govt would spend any amount of money to ensure that the poor live legally, securely, and with dignity. The deputy CM directed the officials to ensure that mafia forces that exploit the helplessness of the poor were kept under check.
