Hyderabad: The Telangana government has approved 10,000 Indiramma homes for Chenchu families who have not had permanent housing for generations. Revenue, Housing and Information Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the initiative is being taken up under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
According to the Minister, the homes will be allotted within the four Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) regions—Utnoor, Bhadrachalam, Mannanur and Eturnagaram—following a saturation-based approach. Around 9,395 eligible Chenchu families have already been identified across these regions.
Break-up of sanctioned homes includes: Asifabad (3,551), Boath (695), Khanapur (1,802), Sirpur (311), Adilabad (1,430), Bellampalli (326), Ashwaraopet (105), Achampet (518), Mahbubnagar (153), Parigi (138), and Tandur (184).
The plan was reviewed in a meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday. The Minister noted that both the Governor and the Chief Minister had earlier stressed the need for permanent housing in tribal areas. Based on their suggestions, the Chenchu community is being included under the Indiramma scheme.
He explained that Chenchus mostly live in forest areas and earn a living through hunting and collecting forest produce. As they prefer not to leave those locations, houses are being built in the same areas.
State-wide, the government is allotting 3,500 Indiramma homes per assembly constituency. For ST constituencies under ITDA, an additional 500 to 700 homes will be allocated. Twenty percent of homes in each constituency will be kept aside as a buffer.
The Minister also said the government is focusing on urban housing, especially in GHMC areas. He noted that many poor families living in slums prefer to stay where they are and are not willing to move to new areas like Kollur. As a result, the government is considering building G+3 apartments in existing slum areas.
