Thursday, March 24 2005 16:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Tamil Nadu has formulated a Rs 1950 crore scheme to build concrete houses for over 1.30 lakh families, who lost their homes in the December 26 Tsunami, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said today (March 24, 2005).

Disclosing this in the State Assembly, she said permission would not be granted to construct buildings in the no development zone, within 200 meters of the high tide line.

Land would be provided free of cost to Non-Governmental organisations, public and private sector companies and national and international rehabilitation agencies, to construct the houses, at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh each.

In rural areas, those affected would be given house sites of three cents each.

In urban areas, it would be one and half cents, she said. The size of the houses would vary from 300 to 350 square feet. Each housing complex would have drinking water facilities, streetlights, Rain Water Harvesting, drainage, community halls and nutritious noon meals centres.

In Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, these houses would range in size from 235 to 250 square feet and would be constructed by the Tamil Nadu slum clearance board, she said.

All such houses should confirm to the Centre's coastal Regulation Zone rules, which prevents new constructions very near the beach, she added.