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The scorching heat is seeping through the fragile walls of T. Komuramma’s makeshift hut in Vedurugatta village of Choppadandi mandal, about 18 km from Karimnagar town in Telangana. But for a 60-year-old man the weather is not a serious burden; This is a view of a half-built pucca house standing incomplete at a short distance from his village.
Four years after Komuramma was allotted a double-bedroom house by the government, she still waits for the day when she can move in. She says, “When I was allotted a house near our village, my happiness knew no bounds. But that happiness did not last long. The construction of 2BHK houses was stopped midway.”
Sitting outside her small hut with her 40-year-old son Srinivas, she says, “He returned penniless from the Gulf a few years ago after being cheated by a fake job agent. A permanent home is not just a shelter; it is a mark of self-identity. My son is still unmarried because we do not have our own home.”
Srinivas is the breadwinner of his family, as his aging parents rarely find work as farm labor anymore. Although the family was informed that they were eligible under the Congress government’s Indiramma Housing Scheme, they decided not to apply for it. “My mother’s name is already in the 2BHK scheme launched by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government,” says Srinivas.
For now, the family can only wait for the unfinished structure to finally become a home. His story mirrors that of many families in Telangana who were allotted houses under the state’s ambitious double bedroom housing programme, but are waiting for construction to be completed.
The two-bedroom housing scheme launched by the previous BRS government in October 2015 promised fully subsidized houses for the urban and rural poor. Official figures show that 2,92,938 building units were approved at an estimated cost of about ₹19,423 crore.
District collectors gave administrative approval for the construction of over 2.31 lakh houses, including about 1 lakh units, within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
According to official data till the first week of April, more than 35,000 houses across the state were in the final stages of construction, with roofing and plastering work completed, while work was underway on another 33,000 units.
Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy informed the state Assembly in March this year that barring some basic infrastructure, construction of more than 1.62 lakh double-bedroom houses has been completed.
As per the latest available information, houses have been allotted to 66,150 beneficiaries in GHMC limits and 80,216 beneficiaries in rural and urban areas, taking the total number of allotments to 1,46,366.
However, apart from about 68,000 houses currently in progress or completed, administrative approval or finalization of tender for another 61,732 units is still pending.
Along with the incomplete 2BHK programme, the present Congress government is implementing the Indiramma Housing Scheme, under which assistance of ₹5 lakh is being provided to economically weaker sections to build houses on the plots they already have.
an opposite reality
Even as thousands of people wait for a roof over their heads, an opposite reality has emerged in some parts of Hyderabad: many allotted 2BHK flats are vacant.
Telangana Housing Corporation had earlier issued notices to such beneficiaries, asking them to explain within seven days why the houses were vacant. Officials warned that in case of non-response, the allotment could be canceled and reallocated.
Among those worried about losing their flat is Sujata (name changed to protect identity) and her husband, both housekeeping workers working in central Hyderabad. Every weekend, the couple travels about 20 km from their rented accommodation to their allotted 2BHK flat, switching between buses and autorickshaws to reach the housing colony. By Monday morning, they return to their rented room, closer to work.
“The fear of losing the flat is what brings us here every weekend but our livelihood is here,” says Sujatha, 40.
His situation is not unique. Residents of several housing colonies on the outskirts of Hyderabad say many beneficiaries come only on weekends, while living in rented houses close to workplaces, schools and colleges.
“There are 19,656 flats in Kollur I, II and III in Edunagulapalli. About 50% have been occupied in the last 18 months,” says Gori Rahul, assistant engineer, Housing Corporation.
Prem Chandu, joint secretary of one of the 117 blocks in Kollur II, says the colonies are filled on weekends. He says, “The buses that come here on Saturday are packed and the situation is the same on Sunday evening when people return.”
The reasons behind partial occupancy reveal another layer of Telangana’s housing challenge. Many beneficiaries say the flats are located far from their workplaces, adding to the difficulty due to poor public transport connectivity. Others cite unhygienic surroundings and the difficulty of transferring children from schools and colleges closer to the city.
The irony is that while some allottees are struggling to live in the houses they have received, thousands of others are eagerly waiting for a house of their own.
2BHK Dignity House in Old Marredpally, Secunderabad on Thursday. | Photo courtesy: Ramakrishna ji.
For many low-income families in Hyderabad, the dream of a government house is driven by the heavy burden of rent. Beneficiaries say they spend between ₹3,000 and ₹6,000 per month for a room with kitchen and bathroom, depending on the locality; And it’s this expense that he hopes permanent housing will eventually erase.
struggle of single women
For many low-income families across the state, the need for a permanent home is driven by survival as well as dignity. Rising rents are consuming a large portion of monthly income, leaving little room for savings amid the rising cost of living. The stress is especially acute for single women who bear rent, children’s education and household expenses on a single income. Any unexpected expense may push them into debt.
In Nizamabad city, 46-year-old widow Bagula Sabita, who runs a small beauty parlor, is struggling to run her family. Living in a rented house with her two teenage daughters, she pays ₹4,000 per month in rent while trying to meet the cost of their intermediate education. Her husband died seven years ago, leaving her the sole earning member of the family.
Although the family owns a two-room ancestral house in Kanteshwar, it is in a dilapidated condition and is co-owned by her late husband’s brothers, leaving her with no practical housing option.
“If I had my own house, at least there would be no rent burden and I would be able to focus on my daughters’ education,” she says.
The tension is similar for Shoba, a 50-year-old beedi worker from Sanjeevaiah Colony, Nizamabad. After her husband’s death two years ago, it has become very difficult to pay the ₹3,500 rent for a one-room house.
“I have married my two daughters and now live alone. Due to health problems, I cannot work regularly or earn enough by making beedis,” she says, urging the government to expedite the allocation.
Members of NGOs working with the homeless say single women and their children often need temporary shelter, as many landlords are reluctant to rent houses to them. NGO workers often help such women secure housing and find livelihoods. In some cases, women lack the proof of address required to apply for government housing schemes.
Jagan, a 38-year-old small vendor from Chintakunta (Karimnagar), who lives in a rented house with his wife and three daughters, says his modest income barely meets household expenses. He further said, “I appeal to the authorities to complete the work and hand over the 2BHK flat without any delay.”
Residents of Karimnagar Municipal Corporation limits say the housing crisis is not limited to rising rents alone. Many tenants are also forced to endure abusive conditions imposed by landlords.
A resident recalls a recent incident in which a landlord allegedly refused to allow relatives of a deceased tenant into the house until the completion of the 13-day mourning rituals. As a result, the bereaved family had to spend several days in a room on the cemetery premises, with no other place to go.
bridging distances
Growing concerns over vacant flats, delayed construction and accessibility issues have prompted the Congress government to restructure parts of the housing scheme.
Responding in the Assembly on March 25 this year, Minister Srinivas Reddy said that more than 12,000 allotted houses remained vacant as beneficiaries found it difficult to relocate away from their workplaces and daily lives.
The government later decided to give beneficiaries an additional two months to take possession of the houses. If they fail to do so, the flats will be re-allotted to eligible poor families living within a radius of five kilometers of the respective colonies.
Telangana State Housing Corporation Managing Director VP Gautam said the government has also taken several policy decisions aimed at accelerating occupancy and completing pending projects.
One such decision was to allot houses including partially completed units regardless of the stage of construction. Officials believe that the beneficiaries themselves will be actively engaged in completing the work and will ensure better quality construction.
At a review meeting held recently, Srinivas Reddy directed officials to complete the identification and allotment of beneficiaries of all pending 2BHK houses across the state by the end of May.
In cases where contractors abandon the projects midway, beneficiaries are being given the option to take over the houses in the existing condition and complete the remaining works themselves. The remaining amount sanctioned for each house, after deducting the expenditure already incurred by the contractors, will be transferred to the beneficiaries.
Another major policy change includes giving priority to families living in non-RCC houses, including huts covered with tarpaulin sheets, GI-sheet roofs and thatched houses, instead of relying solely on lottery-based allocation.
To tackle the problem of remote residential colonies remaining vacant, officials have also started identifying beneficiaries within a radius of five to seven kilometers of the colonies, to make relocation more practical for working families and children studying in nearby schools or colleges.
Gautam says that about 25,000 houses are under construction in the Core Urban Region (CURE). “Of them, 10,000 will be completed by June and 15,000 by September,” he explains.
He says that the Housing Corporation is keeping in mind the socio-economic realities while coordinating with various departments to improve the infrastructure in the housing colonies. Apart from water and electricity supply, efforts are being made to strengthen transport connectivity and other civic amenities to encourage occupancy.
In Kollur, where thousands of flats housed very few people for years, housing has increased slowly over the past 18 months. Schools, Anganwadi centres, additional bus services and a police post have been started to assist the residents.
Officials say similar interventions are now being planned in other residential colonies as well, as the state government attempts to bridge the growing gap between housing allotment and actual housing.
