Mangaluru: Mangaluru South MLA JR Lobo on Monday January 25, announced houses to 800 poor families in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) limits. The project is part of Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation.

Addressing a press meet, Lobo said that four acre land has been earmarked for the project. The Detailed Project Report being readied, the State government has approved the project and will be started once it receives permission from the Central government. The project is expected to be completed in 18 months from then, he added.

Divulging more details, Lobo said that the 800 families will be housed in a three-storey building. Each house will be of 700 sqft and will cost Rs 5 lakh. Facilities such as electricity, underground drainage, garden, road, water supply will be made available, he said.

The contract has been given to Nirmithi Kendra as they are skilled in low cost housing, Lobo informed.

Out of Rs 5 lakh required, beneficiaries belonging to SC/ST communities will have to invest Rs 20,000. Government will invest Rs 3.20 lakh and the MCC will bear another Rs 1 lakh, Lobo said adding that he will arrange a loan upto Rs 50,000.

For others, the investment to be borne is Rs 30,000. The government and the MCC will invest Rs 2.70 lakh and Rs 70,000 respectively. Lobo assured that he will arrange for a loan upto Rs 1.30 lakh.

The MCC has received about 2,000 applications seeking houses. Out of these, the poorest will be chosen under the first phase.

The beneficiaries will be chosen ward wise by a committee headed by Lobo himself.

He informed that the rest of the families will be provided housing in the second phase.

It may be recollected that the poor were housed in Shaktinagar by building Rajiv Gandhi Badavane back in 2003 when Lobo was the MCC Commissioner. However, the initiative was not carried further in the subsequent years.