Although there are thousands of petitioners, the longing that they will not be allocated a flat or a plot is visible in the eyes of many.
Although this is a reality, it is a shocking reality that 30 percent of the flats constructed and handed over to the beneficiaries in Tirupur district remain unsettled.
3,744 houses have been constructed by the Urban Livelihood Development Board in places like Kanaperichal, Veerapandi, Avinasi and Thirumuruganpoondi in the district. All the houses have been handed over to the beneficiaries.
Welfare Associations
The Habitat Development Board has directed that ‘Residents’ Welfare Associations should be set up and take responsibility for maintaining the flats’. Accordingly, residential welfare societies have been formed in each of the flats constructed at each location by joining the beneficiaries as members.
Welfare societies have to undertake many tasks such as keeping the surroundings of the residences clean, removing solid waste, appointing staff to distribute drinking water, installing street lights in the surroundings and maintaining them, renovating the residences at appropriate intervals, setting up and maintaining a park in the residential complex, installing ‘CCTV’ surveillance cameras for security.
Permission has been given to collect a monthly subscription of up to 250 rupees from each residence to carry out these works and meet the expenses including salaries of the staff appointed for the purpose.
Problem with subscription collection
But many of the beneficiaries who have got flats, have locked their houses and are not settled. According to Urban Habitat Development Board officials, 30 percent of the houses are vacant. They don’t even pay the subscription fee.
Due to this financial crisis, the welfare association administrators are unable to operate the association; They are struggling to maintain their residence and surroundings properly.
Cooperation is required
Urban Habitat Development Board Assistant Engineer Saravana Prabhu said: The responsibility of maintaining the flats has been given to the Residents’ Welfare Association. Residents should cooperate with the association. From the day of getting the flats, they have to pay the subscription amount.
Some cannot immediately vacate their foreclosed homes; After the children’s studies we come to the apartment; They have given many reasons for not coming there because their parents are ill and they are not settling anymore. We are advising you to ‘get settled in the houses soon’.
He said that only if the residents cooperate with the activities of the Residents’ Welfare Associations, they can get the maintenance, drinking water, sanitation etc. of the residences without difficulty.