Woes of more than 120 dwellers of dilapidated tenements of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in the district came to an end on Sunday, when housing minister S Muthusamy handed them over allotment orders for new houses.
Giving away the orders, Muthusamy said the 1,072 tenements that were built in 1983 for the slum dwellers at Karungalpalayam were demolished, as they were in dilapidated condition and uninhabitable.
“The government then decided to build new houses for the residents. While the price of a tenement is 9.72 lakh, the beneficiaries were asked to pay only 1.25 lakh. When the residents said 1.25 lakh was unaffordable, the amount was reduced to 1 lakh. The rest would be borne by the government.”
To make the payment easier for the residents, he said, they were also given the option of paying in installments. “Accordingly, 272 people have made the payments. Of them, 124 were allotted houses. Houses will be built soon and allotted to the remaining beneficiaries.”