Around 25 Smart City projects, including those related to housing, public transport and tourism, are under final stages of completion in Puducherry.

Around 600 dwelling units meant for the underprivileged sections of society are nearing completion in the town and suburban areas of Puducherry.

The housing projects, taken up under Smart Cities Mission, are to be completed by the end of March and thereafter be handed over to beneficiaries, government officials told media.

Interacting with reporters during a presentation of Smart City projects and subsequent visit to the upcoming project sites in the town on Monday, the officials said the housing projects are part of Smart City and City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain programme.

Sources of fund

The projects are funded partly by the Centre, the U.T. government and financial institutions, said an official.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had approved various projects to the tune of ₹1,056 crore in Puducherry under the Smart City Mission in 2017. Subsequently, due to various administrative and financial reasons, the project size was scaled down to ₹612 crore.

A total of 82 projects were sanctioned under the mission, of which 57 have been completed so far. Another 25 projects would be completed by March-end, officials said.

Of the 25 ongoing projects, four are major housing projects for economically weaker sections of society, an official said, adding that construction work for tenements at Chinnayapuram (220), Kumaragurupallam (216), Lambert Saravanan Nagar (128) and Dubrayapet (80), had been completed.

Minor works left

“The civil works are completely over; only the last minute electric and other minor works are in progress. The tenements will be ready for occupation by March,” said a Public Works Department official.

The two blocks of tenements at Kumaragurupallam — with 12 floors each— will be one of the tallest buildings in Puducherry. Constructed at a cost of ₹45.50 crore, each tenement measures 372 square feet and has a hall, bedroom, kitchen, toilet and balcony.

The tenements are provided with lifts, firefighting equipment, two generators, an underground sewer line, parking and play areas.

The dwelling unit at Chinnayapuram is five-storied, with each tenement measuring 350 square feet. The cost of construction is ₹23.45 crore, according to the official.

Cost variation

The official said that the difference in the construction cost of both tenements, despite having almost the same number of units, was because of the bigger room spread, height of the building and facilities available at Kumaragurupallam.

“The labour cost [of Kumaragurupallam tenement] increased because of the height of the building. The piling was done for a depth of 39 metres from ground level. There are 180 piles in both blocks together and this was one of the reasons for the higher cost,” the official said.

The other works that will be completed by March-end include a 3-km nature trail behind Forest Department premises, New Bus Stand, Mini Stadium at Anna Thidal, Urban Entertainment Centre at Old Port, Grand Canal Development, restoration of Botanical Garden, and improvement of the storm water and sewer drains in the town area.