Chhattisgarh unveils Rs.3.5 bn housing scheme in Naya Raipur

By IANS

Raipur : The Chhattisgarh State Housing Board (CSHB) has unveiled Rs.3.5 billion ($88.5 million) housing scheme on 150 acres in the state's upcoming capital at Naya Raipur.

"The CSHB has started bookings for 2,536 houses ranging between the lowest price of Rs.250,000 ($6,335) per house to the maximum of Rs.5 million ($126,710) in the upcoming satellite city," Subhash Rao, chairman of the board, told IANS Tuesday.

He added that Rs.3.5 billion would be pumped in for developing the housing clusters with international standard infrastructure facilities in Naya Raipur with 50 percent allotments to be reserved for state government employees.

Naya Raipur will replace Raipur as the capital of Chhattisgarh within the next three years. The new city, about 20 km east from here, is located between National Highways six and 43 and will be connected to the present capital city by an expressway.

Naya Raipur will be spread out on 8,000 hectares for which the government is in final process to acquire the land of 20 villages.

The housing project will have 40-metre road width, underground sewage and drinking water supply systems and a sufficient greenery belt. Houses are expected to be ready by the end of 2009. About 300 houses will be allotted to central government staff.

Since the inception of the CSHB in February 2004, it has constructed 20,000 houses across the state till date with 70 percent for the economically weaker sections of the society, 20 percent for the middle-income groups and 10 percent for the higher income groups.