1,000 Lankan Tamil beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu to get new houses soon
Government sources said the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has undertaken the construction of 3,959 houses, including 973 group houses and 67 individual houses, at Rs 236 crore in the second phase of the project.
CHENNAI: Nearly 1,000 families residing in Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camps in the State will soon move into newly built houses, bringing the total number of families in the 105 rehabilitation camps for Lankan Tamil beneficiaries under the Tamil Nadu government’s housing scheme to 3,738.
Government sources said the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has undertaken the construction of 3,959 houses, including 973 group houses and 67 individual houses, at Rs 236 crore in the second phase of the project. So far, the department has completed 236 houses, while 3,723 houses are currently at various stages of construction.
The housing scheme was launched exclusively for Lankan Tamils residing in the 105 rehabilitation camps in the State, following Chief Minister MK Stalin’s announcement under Rule 110 in the Assembly in 2021. Under the scheme, a total of 7,469 houses – 3,510 in the first phase and 3,959 in the second phase – are to be constructed at Rs 421 crore.
In the first phase, the department constructed 1,759 houses, which were handed over to beneficiaries by the Chief Minister in September 2023 and March 2024. Later, the government handed over an additional 998 houses to beneficiaries. “We have completed the construction of 3,510 houses as part of the first phase of the project. Of these, only 753 are yet to be handed over to the beneficiaries,” said a government official.
The second phase of the project is progressing at a brisk pace, with the construction of 236 houses already completed. “Soon, houses completed in both the first and second phases will be handed over to the beneficiaries,” said the official, referring to the delay in the handover due to the recently concluded Assembly session which was adjourned sine die by Speaker M Appavu on April 29.
Officials also stated that the department has completed nearly 75 per cent of the work to improve basic amenities at the camps. These works include constructing drainage systems and providing drinking water, toilets, and electricity. The government allocated Rs 10 crore in 2022–2023 and Rs 20 crore in the 2023–2024 fiscal year for these works.
