HYDERABAD: The state government’s ambitious plan of selling 3,700 flats constructed under
Rajiv Swagruha scheme at Bandlaguda and Pocharam to raise revenue may not be successful unless repairs are carried out, civic amenities and other facilities are provided and an attractive package is offered.
Earlier, the government had tried to sell the flats to earn over Rs 500 crore but the plan evoked nil response with only one applicant coming forward to purchase a flat. Later, the government decided to sell the flats to government employees at reasonable rates but this too failed to get the employees interested in occupying the houses. Those who had purchased the flats and are staying in the township say that the infrastructure needs to be improved.
When this correspondent visited the project site in Bandlaguda near Nagole, security personnel were manning the entrance gates, however, a peep inside the vacant flats revealed their poor condition.
Some of the flats which have been vacant for almost 10 years now have become nesting grounds for birds. In some of the flats, the viscera of dead pigeons has dried up and is yet to be cleared. The drinking water supply connection has been disconnected to one of the blocks in Rajiv Swagruha Sahabhavana township in Bandlaguda for non-payment of bills, while kitchen platforms are missing in some of the flats.
C Rajender Kumar, manager of Sahabhavana Diamond Classic Flat Owners Welfare Association, said the situation was even worse in C block with the washrooms in the flats having no drainage connection. “Thanks to Rajiv Swagruha Corporation officials, works were taken up and connections have been provided. There is lot of work to be done and the corporation, of late, has taken up several works. But a lot more infrastructure needs to be put in place before the flats are put up for sale,” he said.
Mayank Mishra, one of the flat owners, said the houses were good to stay in. “The township, which was once considered to be away from the city, is now in the midst of residential and commercial markets, however, any auction will fetch good rates only if the product is packaged properly,” he said.
Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ association president Ravinder Reddy said that though the flats were offered to government employees, there were no takers as it was an unfinished product. “Bandlaguda and Pocharam Rajiv Swagruha townships are located between 20 km and 24 km away from Secretariat and most of the government offices in the city. Even the prices offered by the government then were considered too high for flats located far away from the core city. Of course, Bandlaguda is now part and parcel of the city,” he said.
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