Phase I of housing project launched

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Wednesday inaugurated the first set of flats constructed at Karimadom Colony under the first phase of the Union government-assisted Basic Services to Urban Poor Project (BSUP) of the city Corporation.

Law and Public Works Minister M. Vijayakumar; MLA V. Sivankutty; Mayor C. Jayan Babu; and Deputy Mayor V. Jayaprakash; were present at the function to hand over the keys.

In the first phase, works costing Rs 2.36 crores have been completed by the project implementing agency, Centre for Science and Technology for Rural Development (Costford). This includes construction of 80 flats in four blocks, a market and an anganwadi.

�The beneficiary families have already been identified and finalised by the Corporation. Handing over the ownership certificates and other formalities will be completed after a decision on the specific flats and floors to be allotted to the families is taken, said Corporation Welfare standing committee chairman S.A. Sundar. Each block has four storeys with eight units on the ground floor, six on the first floor, four on the second floor and two on the third floor.

The Rs.16-crore BSUP slum modernisation project at Karimadom Colony includes the construction of 560 flats in 28 blocks spread across an area of 9.73 acres. The project also includes construction of community halls, study centres, markets, kiosks, biogas plant, public taps and walkways