Our Reporter
Dimapur, June 25 (EMN): The foundation stone for construction of ‘Demonstration Housing Project’ (DHP) at Sematilla in Dimapur was laid virtually by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri from Delhi on Saturday.
The minister of Public Works Department (Housing and Mechanical), government of Nagaland, Tongpang Ozukum, who joined the programme from Delhi, appealed to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) to consider sanctioning more demonstration housing projects in Nagaland while assuring to complete the work within the stipulated time.
Citing emerging technologies being used for DHP, he said that it will reduce the time for completion of the projects in the future.
Hardeep Singh Puri said during foundation stone laying programme that more than 75 housing projects have been considered in Nagaland, wherein 32,335 houses were sanctioned and 10,000 houses delivered so far.
“This G+2 building comprising 40 units will be built using prefabricated sandwich panel system-EPS cement sandwich panels with steel structure. It will be used as a working women’s hostel. The project will be equipped with other features and adequate social infrastructure,” he updated.
Completion time extended
The project is being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) at a cost of INR 1085 lakh.
Funded by the MOHUA with the state’s Works and Housing department as the state-level nodal agency, the projects special features include rainwater harvesting, solar street lights and solar water heating system. The total build up area of the project is 2050 sq.mt and the construction agency is M/S L Kronu & Co, Kohima.
Chief Engineer, PWD (Housing) Tiameren disclosed that although the completion time set by the GoI was 10.5 months, due to delay in issue of work order, ‘the Ministry has given another grace period of one month, which makes it 11.5 months’.
Once it is done, he said, the maintenance of the DHP will be taken care of by the PWD housing department.
Project to benefit student community
Secretary for Housing and Mechanical department, Kesonyu Yhome, told journalists after the event at PWD Housing complex in Sematilla that the DHP was mainly for the urban areas.
He disclosed that the government of India had allotted one project for each state but in the context of Nagaland, the Centre had decided to explore areas to expand it.
In Nagaland, he said, the idea is to cater to the student community in particular once the project is completed and also to others as per the need.
“These particular projects are not the normal projects that we do with the normal traditional technology but with the emerging technology where it is safe, very quick to construct and is sustainable in the sense that it is more eco-friendly because the raw materials, which are prepared, are not extracted from natural resources. Also, it is safe especially in seismic zones like Nagaland,” Yhome informed.