From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Oct 24: In a bid to ensure fair chance to all eligible beneficiaries and avoid multiple allotments of housing sites/houses to families by several agencies, the State Government has decided to bring all its housing schemes under the purview of the State Housing Department.

Karnataka’s Housing Minister V Somanna said several departments and bodies, including Social Welfare Department, Fisheries Department, Bangalore Development Authority, Housing Board, City Corporations, have been identifying lands and allotting sites/houses.

With existence of several housing schemes in different departments and agencies, chances of allotment of sites more than one to individual families are more, he said.

The minister mentioned that he had written a letter to Chief Secretary S V Ranganath with a request for bringing all housing schemes under the Housing department.

A Lok Sabha member would be given full powers to monitor all housing schemes in his/her constituency to avoid duplication or irregularities.

The MP can also release funds from the MP Local Area Development Fund for housing schemes in the constituency, the minister said.

Task Forces headed by tahsildars would also be constituted to monitor progress of various housing schemes – Ashraya, Ambedkar, Indira Awas, Basava Vasathi.

A meeting of all Chief Executive Officers and Executive Officers of zilla panchayats would be convened in Bangalore soon to obtain more information about progress and execution of housing schemes. The meeting would also help bringing better coordination between CEOs, EOs and ZP members, Somanna said.

A total of five lakh houses would be constructed under various housing schemes of the department by March 31, 2012. Already work was underway to built three lakh houses, he said.