Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated a part of the legislators’ housing project, being executed by the building construction department (BCD), and handed over keys to eight siting members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) at a function to mark the occasion.
The BCD handed over as many as 65 out of total 243 fully furnished houses being built on Beerchand Patel Path to the state legislative assembly secretariat for allotment to MLAs.
Ram Vriksha Sada, Izharul Hussain, Lalit Narayan Mandal, Shambhunath Yadav, Rambali Singh Yadav, Ranvijay Sahu, Harishankar Yadav and Arun Singh were among the first lot of MLAs who received keys to their houses by the chief minister.
On the occasion, the CM directed the BCD secretary Kumar Ravi to get the rest of the houses built at the earliest, as the project had already got much delayed. He also pulled up the secretary on the stage for asking for fund and not getting the project delivered. The CM also asked the officer to ensure proper cleanliness and upkeep of the entire premises.
The housing project was mooted in 2011 and sanctioned in 2012-13. The work got delayed owing to the legal issues and demolition of the old houses. As many as 75 bungalows were to be built for the members of the legislative council (MLCs) and 243 for the MLAs. “The legislative council got the possession of only 55 bungalows and construction on 20 buildings is still going on. Similarly, 178 buildings meant for the MLAs are still to be finished,” said the CM.
Assembly speaker Awadh Bihar Chaudhary, deputy speaker Maheshwar Hazari, BCD minister Ashok Choudhary and finance minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary were present during the key handover ceremony.
BCD secretary Kumar Ravi later said action would be taken against the construction company for the delay in completion of the project. “As per the given timeline, all houses should have been complete by October,” said Ravi.
Each bungalow, comprising three storeys, has three bedrooms, a drawing room, a guest room, two air conditioners, four double-bed sets, dining table, office chamber and common facilities like sewerage treatment plant, rainwater harvesting, etc.
