Housing dept to construct 30,000 flats for subsidence zone residents in Raniganj

Kolkata: The state Housing department is constructing 30,000 flats in which families residing in subsidence zone in Raniganj will be rehabilitated.

According to a senior official of the state Housing department, Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) has decided to take up the project following a study carried out by the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA).

In the study conducted by ADDA, it was found that there was a need to rehabilitate around 30,000 families as they are residing at a high risk subsidence zone. So, the decision to rehabilitate the families to a safer place has been taken up.

It may be mentioned that Raniganj is a major coal-producing area and there are problems of subsidence due to underground mining.

The preliminary work of the project has started and September 2019 has been set as a target to complete the construction of all the flats.

The official of the state Housing department said that they will be constructing four-storeyed buildings and there will be 16 flats in each of the buildings. Each of the flats

will have an area of 39.13 square metre.

There is a requirement of 300 acres of land to construct the 30,000 flats. ECL has already handed over 26 acres of land to the state Housing department to construct the same.

The state government has also handed over two separate plots of vested land to the Housing department for the project. The two plots that the state government has provided are of separate measurements. One of the plots is of 80 acres, while the other one is 52 acres.

So, at present, the housing department can develop the buildings on a total of 158 acres of land at three different locations at Raniganj and Andal.

"We have estimated that 12,976 flats can be constructed on the 158 acres of land readily available with the Housing department at present," said an official of the department.

The official of the state Housing department said that ADDA had conducted the survey and had identified the families who need to be rehabilitated and the state Housing department is carrying out the project through ADDA.

"Our endeavour is to complete the work within the set target so that the people staying in subsidence zone at present can be rehabilitated as early as possible," the official said, adding that they are expecting that the remaining land, as per the requirement, will also become available soon.