Mount View Monal to build flats in Baddi

To ease the fast growing housing needs Himachal Pradesh's fastest growing industrial town, a private company is to soon start work on building 384 apartment blocks.

Mount View Monal, a Himachal based construction company is to start work on building the apartment colony, a hospital, a school among other facilities in a prime location of the industrial town. "The entire construction work will take about 18 months," said the company Director Harish Aggarwal.

"While 176 flats will cost around Rs 24 lakh, the remaining will cost around Rs 20 lakh each," he said.

"Even non-Himachalis will be able to purchase these apartments. There is an urgent need for housing in Baddi for the 100,000 or so industrial workers, most of whom stay in makeshift shanties," he added.

Over three quarters of the 25,000 or so other blue and white collared workers travel to and from to Chandigarh and Panchkula cities due to inadequate housing in Baddi.

Officials of the Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Authority(HIMUDA) the nodal housing agency in the hill state say a few companies have already started construction of housing colonies which includes housing and shopping malls among other buildings.

"Even though 116 construction companies are registered with us, only a few have started actaul work so far and the others are expected to start soon," an official of HIMUDA said.