When the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) announced its plan to build low cost homes in and around the city in June 2009, it created a flutter in the city's realty market.
After all, owning a single BHK (bedroom hall kitchen) home at Rs seven lakh and a two-BHK flat in the range of Rs 10-12 lakh as promised by BDA, was almost a pipedream for the city's denizens.
BDA's mass housing project was like a glimmer of hope for the people in the lower income bracket at a time when the property prices in the city had gone through the roof due to huge demand-supply mismatch.
But more than nine months down the line, BDA's low cost homes have proved to be a non-starter.
When contacted by Business Standard, D K Singh, vice-chairman, BDA said, the mass housing projects are going to be launched soon. Despite Singh's claim, there has been no real headway on these projects.
As per schedule, the mass housing projects were supposed to be launched in October, four months after their announcement. However, tenders are yet to be invited for starting the construction work as BDA is dilly-dallying on the project.
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According to Singh, the architects have been finalized for three locations- Kalinga Nagar, Subudhipur and Paikarapur.
There were two more locations identified for the mass housing projects. These are- Chandrasekharpur and Bargarh Brit Colony, but nothing has taken off there even though BDA has its own land in these locations
Moreover, BDA officials are tightlipped on the issue of the time-frame of commencement of construction work. As it looks, the ambitious mass housing projects have almost been pushed into the back burner.
BDA had lined up an investment of Rs 80-100 crore on developing 1,000 dwelling units which would be a mix of 1-BHK, 2-BHK and 3-BHK flats. The project was expected to be commissioned by the end of 2011.
The housing complexes were to be developed on an area of three acres in 4-5 locations in and around the city. These were to come up in the form of apartments consisting of 7-8 storeys.
The total built-up area of the flats would range from 700-1,700 sq ft and the price of these flats would vary from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 25 lakh depending on the built-up area.
While 1-BHK flat would comprise a built-up area of 700 sq ft and would be priced at Rs 7-8 lakh, a 2-BHK flat with a built-up area of 1,000-1,200 sq ft would be available in the range of Rs 12-15 lakh. Similarly, a 3-BHK flat with a built-up area of 1,500-1,700 sq ft would be priced at Rs 20-25 lakh.