Chhattisgarh to launch Atal Vihar Yojana in forty towns

Chhattisgarh government will construct about 100,000 houses for poor and middle class people across the state under a scheme named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Atal Vihar Yojana would be launched in 40 towns in the state and would be completed in three years. The work on the ambitious housing project that had been designed with an estimated cost of Rs 11,800 crore would start later this month.

“In the first year (2011-12), 30,000 houses would be constructed while in the second year (2012-13), 40,000 houses would be built under the scheme,” Chhattisgarh minister for housing Rajesh Munat said. Remaining houses would be constructed in the final year (2013-14) of the project.The housing project would be executed by state-run Chhattisgarh Housing Board, which would develop an integrated township at block and district headquarters level. The state government would provide land for Re 1 a square feet to the board for executing the project.

The project was earlier named as Vikas Nagar Yojana. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Chhattisgarh government decided to change it and name after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The state government had earlier launched a housing project Atal Awas for the economically weaker section (ECS) of the society.

“This would be biggest housing project in the state since Chhattisgarh came into being in November 2000,” Munat said. In the scheme, the government intents to give subsidy to the tune of about Rs 175 crore to the poor and middle class people, the minister said, adding that the government would give a subsidy of Rs 80,000 on ECS houses and Rs 40,000 on LIG (Lower income group) units.