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Hyderabad: Revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has directed the district collectors to submit a comprehensive report on how much land was available in the bastis in and around Hyderabad, and how many G+3 blocks could be built as in-situ rehabilitation of slums under the Indiramma housing scheme by the end of July, 2025.

He asked the officials to identify Bhoodaan lands for the purpose, as they could be used for the benefit of the poor, and directed the collectors to delegate the work to special officers specifically for the purpose of identifying those lands.

On Tuesday, July 22, he held a review of Indiramma houses at Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat with the housing officials and the collectors in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts.

Addressing the officials, he said that despite being issued allotment letters to occupy 2bhk houses in towers and buildings constructed on the outskirts of the city in the past, the beneficiaries were not showing interest in shifting to those apartments in fear of losing their livelihoods.

As a result, he said 30,000 2bhk flats were lying vacant in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts.

He directed the officials to complete the allocation of all those vacant flats to the eligible beneficiaries by the end of August, 2025.

Hence, he said that the government has decided to construct Indiramma houses (apartments) for the basti people in the areas where they have been residing, without relocating the beneficiaries.

He also directed the officials to issue notices to the beneficiaries who were allotted flats in the completed 2bhk housing blocks, but have not taken position of their houses yet.

The minister said that there were 166 bastis located under the limits of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which included 106 in Hyderabad, 5 in Sangareddy, 12 in Medchal-Malkajgiri, and 26 in Rangareddy districts.

Out of 42,432 people (households) living in these bastis, he said the officials have determined that 25,501 have been living in temporary ‘kaccha houses.’

Though the state government has sanctioned 3,500 Indiramma houses for each assembly constituency in the rural areas, the minister said that keeping in mind the ever-growing population in the cities, the state government has decided to sanction more houses for the urban areas.

The minister also directed the officials to complete the construction of 2bhk houses not yet completed, and to provide water, electricity and drainage facilities to the 2bhk colonies established during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.