‘TNHB joint venture will optimise house quality’

CHENNAI: State Housing and Urban Development Minister S Muthusamy on Wednesday informed the Assembly that the government would form a joint venture with private players to optimise the quality of houses constructed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB).

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for the housing ministry in the House, Muthusamy said TNHB projects would be implemented in joint venture mode with private participation. “Some might call it privatisation. We are floating tenders and awarding them to the lowest bidder. However, we are unable to monitor the quality of construction effectively. But, if it is done through JV, they will hand over a portion of the constructed buildings. Rest will be with them. They don’t have to pay us. They must sell and monetise their stock of houses. So the houses should be constructed with good quality material.”

“We are imposing a new condition in the contract. If the government feels that it does not need the share of buildings handed over to the government, they can buy it at market price and sell it for a profit on their own, ” the Minister informed the House.

CS-led committee for satellite townships: On the development of satellite townships in TN, the Minister said that a committee led by the Chief Secretary would be formed to recommend ways to develop satellite townships. Stating that a model Marina Commercial Complex would be developed on 25 acres, the Minister said the feasibility report for the project has been submitted to the government and a technical study is under progress. “Later, we will explore funding options. We are planning to execute the project with foreign funding. The Chief Minister has made some suggestions to us. We will utilise the expertise of our Finance Minister and implement it as a model project.”