HUPA offers to build 10,000 houses in Uttarakhand

Stepping up reconstruction works in flood-hit Uttarakhand, the government today announced that it will rebuild 10,000 houses and undertake other activities to develop infrastructure in all affected municipalities.
"All affected municipalities and notified area councils in Uttarakhand can be covered under Rajiv Awas Yojana as a special case to support reconstruction of houses of the poor and reconstruct and redevelop these devastated houses," Union Minister Girija Vyas said here.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) will also arrange for providing soft loan of Rs 3,000 crore for construction of houses and reconstruction of infrastructure facilities in the state, she said.

"Approximately 10,000 houses will be re-constructed by the Ministry under the Rajiv Awas Yojana," Vyas added.
The Ministry will send an expert team to the hill state to assess the damage done by the calamity.
"We will help planning, designing and reconstruction of devastated houses by deputing a technical team from HUDCO, Building Material and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Hindustan Prefab Ltd (HPL) along with experts from IIT Roorkee. The team will visit Uttarakhand on July 6 and assess the damage done by the natural calamity," Vyas said.

Earlier in the day, the minister had a telephonic conversation with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

"HUDCO has been instructed to provide long term soft loans of Rs 3,000 crore for 18-20 years duration for construction of houses and for reconstruction of infrastructure facilities in the state," Vyas said.
Vyas said her Ministry has also volunteered to coordinate the work of construction of houses under different government schemes.
HUDCO has contributed Rs 1.25 crore for rehabilitation and reconstruction works for those affected in Uttarakhand under corporate social responsibility. All employees of the ministry have donated one day's salary for Uttarakhand relief funds.