State housing scheme to be rolled out in two months

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Affordable Housing Scheme, which aims at providing housing units to the marginalised sections of the society, will be rolled out in the next two months.
Informing this to The Shillong Times here on Wednesday, Minister in charge Housing, Zenith Sangma said that the Government has started the tendering process for the scheme and April 24 is the last date for submitting the bids.
Sangma added that under the two components of the scheme, the government will provide dwelling units and roofing materials to beneficiaries.
Under the component of providing dwelling unit, the beneficiaries will have to construct the house on their own at an estimated cost of Rs 3.10 lakh. However, 10 per cent of the total cost has to be borne by the beneficiaries.
The government will also provide three bundles of aluminium sheets to the beneficiaries.
Sangma informed that the government had sanctioned Rs 60 crore for the scheme in 2015-16 followed by Rs 1 crore in 2016-17 and another Rs 60 crore has been projected for 2017-18.
The scheme is meant for the economically weaker sections of the society and will be implemented in both rural and urban areas of the State.
The plan to introduce the Meghalaya Housing Scheme was proposed in 2012 when the State government decided to do away with the distribution of corrugated galvanised iron sheets to the poor.