Bhubaneswar( Focus Plus) : The Odisha government is set to offer affordable housing in Bhubaneswar city with prices ranging from ₹15 lakh to ₹50 lakh, targeting economically weaker sections and middle-class families, said Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra.
The government will construct MIG (Middle Income Group), LIG (Lower Income Group), LIG-1, and MIG-2 category houses under this scheme. The homes will be allotted through a lottery system. Eligibility criteria will be defined to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries from the targeted income groups can apply, the minister said.
These houses will be developed in Bhubaneswar’s outskirts, and similar initiatives will soon be launched in Cuttack. The minister informed that the first phase will focus on municipal areas. To meet housing needs sustainably, the state will adopt the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for construction.
To manage the process efficiently, the government will tie up with cooperative banks. These banks will be responsible for monitoring the housing units and collecting EMIs from beneficiaries.
Apart from home ownership, the government is also considering building rental housing in the city to reduce slum settlements, which have been growing due to the shortage of affordable homes, the minister added.
He also highlighted the focus on Town Planning (TP) scheme, under which the government plans to provide essential infrastructure such as sewage, drainage, roads, and street lighting in a planned manner. While work has already begun in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the government is preparing to extend similar development to Puri in the near future, said Mohapatra.
