THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: City corporation is set to revive its long-delayed housing project at Poonkulam under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme. The project, launched in 2008 was halted midway due to financial constraints.
The scheme intended to construct 120 houses across six blocks for underprivileged families was halted after completing only two floors. The project, initially managed by Nirmithi Kendra, had an estimated cost of Rs 2.96 crore. Over the years, the cost estimate rose to nearly Rs 9 crore, but no further progress was made. Now, the project has been scaled down to rehabilitate 32 families and the corporation will spend its own funds to give the project a fresh start, officials concerned said.
The College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET), has completed a stability audit to check if the existing structures are safe and can be reused. Once the audit report is received, the corporation will float a new tender to finish construction.
Corporation secretary Jahamgeer S told TOI that the civic body was determined to complete the project. “We are committed to move ahead with Poonkulam housing scheme at the earliest. After necessary approvals, we will call the tender without delay,” he said.
According to corporation officials, the revived project would also include basic facilities such as roads, water supply, streetlights and drainage, which were part of the original BSUP plan.
Meanwhile, Poonkulam ward councillor V Prameela said that the proceedings were going on fast and it would be included as the agenda in the next council meeting. “Once the approval is accorded in the council meeting, we will go for tender,” she said. She claimed that the existing building would be demolished and a new building would be constructed there. “The new houses will be like flats, giving good convenience to the beneficiaries. Currently, 12 families are residing in a nearby flat,” she said.
The 17-year delay has caused disappointment among beneficiaries. “When the construction began, we were hopeful. But nothing happened for years. We just want the project completed this time,” said Rajendran V, a resident of Poonkulam.
The project is expected to take about 18 to 24 months to complete once construction restarts. Officials said the cost estimates would be revised again to match current market rates and building standards. The Poonkulam project is one of several BSUP schemes that suffered delays or were abandoned. Over the years, Thiruvananthapuram lost nearly Rs 75 crore worth of such housing projects because of slow progress and procedural lapses.
Meanwhile, the construction of the new building to rehabilitate 105 affected families at Karimadom colony began three days ago. This project also comes under the BSUP scheme. Costford, the accredited agency, is the builder of the project, and the period of completion is one year.
