Puducherry government to construct apartment complex with 216 apartments at Kumaragurupallam.

In a major relief to families now displaced from the old tenements at Kumaragurupallam, the government has decided to construct a 13-storeyed apartment complex having 216 flats under Smart City Project. 

Several families, belonging to the marginalised sections of the society living in the old tenements, were recently moved out after their dwelling units constructed years ago by the Slum Clearance Board were found to be unsafe for habitation.. They have been living in rented houses after the government demolished the tenements considering safety of the people residing in the area.

Now, under the Smart City Project, the Public Works Department has decided to construct 216 flats in two blocks. One tower will accommodate 144 flats, each having a plinth area of 407 sq feet.  Another tower will accommodate 72 flats having the same plinth area. Each flat will have a hall, bedroom, kitchen, toilet and balcony. The complex will be provided with lifts, fire fighting equipment and lightning arresters, a PWD official told The Hindu. 

Adequate generators would be provided to handle lifts, pump sets and street lights in case of any power breakdown. The complex will also be provided with proper sewer lines, he added. 

“Once the project gets over, the residential complex will be the tallest apartment complex in Puducherry constructed using precast technology by the Public Works Department,” the official said . 

According to the official, the foundation of the complex would be made of piling and the upper part using precast technology. The project taken up at a cost of ₹ 45 crore will be completed in the next 15 months, the official added. 

A simple function was held at Kumaragurupallam on Thursday to lay the foundation for the construction of the flats. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, Secretary, Works T. Arun and Chief Engineer, PWD, V. Sathyamurthy were among those who attended the function. 

THE HINDU