Curation Team
BHUBANESWAR: In a sigh of relief for tenants, especially students and the urban poor, the housing and urban development department is executing a one-of-its-kind rental housing project for them in different urban centres across the state.
Aimed at providing quality accommodation to targeted beneficiaries, the rental housing complexes promise to provide quality living at an affordable rent, ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 per month. Currently, several such complexes are in different stages of construction in Odisha and one of them is already operational in Bhubaneswar.
According to official data, Bhubaneswar has three such projects – a 200-bed facility at Kharvel Nagar and two 100-bed facilities at Shampur and Chandrasekharpur.
The Cuttack Municipal Corporation is also executing two 100-bed facilities for the tenants.
Berhampur is also witnessing the execution of two 100-bed facilities coming up at New Gosaninuagaon and Bidyutpuri Colony, respectively, while Rourkela also has two 100-bed rental housing complexes at Chhend and Udit Nagar.
Besides, Sambalpur, Paradip, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Angul and Dhenkanal will also have such rental housing complexes.
While Sambalpur will have two 100-bed facilities, the rest of the cities will have two 50-bed rental houses each.
Gangadhar Nayak, the director of Odisha Urban Housing Mission, said that the projects are being executed in collaboration with the labour department. “The initial beneficiaries of the projects will be the migrant labourers,” he added.
The housing and urban development department has also issued an operational guideline for these rental housing complexes to ensure their smooth operation. The guideline outlines what facilities these rental houses will provide to their occupants.
As per the guideline, an operating authority will be selected for each project and they will ensure a 24×7 electricity supply with proper backup facilities. The operators could also explore other alternative power supplies through solar panels.
Besides, the rental housing complexes will also have a 24×7 drinking water supply system through overhead tanks with water filters to be installed in each block. The operator will also place first-aid boxes in the administrator’s room.
In terms of maintaining sanitation, the guideline stresses two-time sweeping by the operating authority. “Daily cleaning and mopping once for rooms and twice for toilets, kitchens, and common spaces, preferably between 10 am and 8 pm,” the guideline reads.
The rental housing complexes will also have facilities like ATM counters, cloakrooms with attendants, televisions with cable connection in the common room and also separate arrangements for men and women between 6 am and 9 am and 6 pm and 10 pm.
“The funds have already been placed for the construction of the rental housing complexes,” an urban development department official said.
