Goes vertical to ease housing problems in city

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: Taking a major step for the implementation of its ambitious affordable Group Housing Scheme, the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has prepared the DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the scheme.

The DPR comes years after MUDA announced its plans for Multi-floor Housing Complexes as part of its Vertical Group Housing Scheme, aimed at allotment of houses to beneficiaries at an affordable price. The MUDA has attributed the delay in the preparation of DPR due to issues concerning allotment of houses to eligible beneficiaries, stipulation of price and formulation of  other guidelines.

But a year after he took over as MUDA Chairman, H.V. Rajeev has drawn up plans for implementation of affordable Group Housing Scheme by constructing a total of 1,960 houses (units) at three places across the city, which include 560 houses (2 blocks of 14 floors each) in a four-acre area along the Ring Road in Vijayanagar Second Stage, 392 houses  in 3.7- acre area in Dattagalli and 1,008 houses at Sathagalli.

As per the plan, the Housing Project at Vijayanagar Second Stage, will have 560 houses (units), each having two bed rooms, built in three blocks, the one at Dattagalli will have two blocks of houses, with each house having two bed rooms and the one at Sathagalli will have three blocks of houses having a single bed room each. All the blocks will have 14 floors each.

The total cost of the Project is estimated at Rs. 453 crore. The approximate cost of a house (2-bedroom) in Type-1 block in Vijayanagar is Rs. 29.94 lakh and that of the house in Type-2 block is Rs. 32.91 lakh. The provisional  cost of a house (unit) in both the type of blocks at Dattagalli is Rs. 33.80 lakh and a house (single bed room) in all three blocks at Sathagalli is Rs. 14.83 lakh. 

A private consultancy firm has prepared the DPR as per MUDA’s design, according to which the total cost of the Housing Project, taking a collective account of 8 blocks of 14 floors each at three places, is Rs. 453 crore.

The highlight of this Vertical Group Housing Scheme is that each block will have two staircases having spaced steps, two lifts, a basement where vehicles can be parked, an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) and  open spaces.

The DPR is prepared as per the design of  Apartment Complexes  built by renowned private developers and will be discussed in depth at MUDA’s meeting today (Aug.13), following which it will be sent to Government for approval. MUDA is taking up this ambitious project on a no-profit, no-loss basis.

Soon after the Government gives green signal for the project, the MUDA plans to execute the project in two years. It has also proposed to start the process for allotment of houses and seek payments from allottees  towards the cost of the house in three instalments — at the basement level, lintel level and before handing over possession.

Soon after the allotment, the allottees can approach the banks for loans. The Banks can sanction upto 70 percent of the house cost depending upon the loanee’s  financial capability to repay loan instalments. This apart, there are chances of the allottees getting some sort of subsidy from the Government. With huge demand for this dream project, the MUDA hopes to sell all houses within no time.

Meanwhile, MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh said that there is a big demand for houses under Group Housing Scheme as found out from a demand survey conducted a couple of years ago. 

Maintaining that MUDA hopes to ease the pressure on it for site allocation with the execution of this Group Housing Scheme, which is getting popular by the day in other big cities like Bengaluru because of affordable prices, he contended that the project will be completed within a set time-frame.