04 April 2013 " As part of her efforts to meet the growing demand for housing projects in urban areas, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Ms Jayalalithaa today announced a satellite township on the outskirts of Madurai at a cost of 120 crore rupees and proposed to build 4,454 houses in several other districts. "

Making a suo motu statement in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said the township would be created some 15 kms away from Madurai along the Madurai-Tirunelveli highway near the airport. The township would be created over 586.86 acres presently owned by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in Thoppur-Uchappatti, she said. The township would have 19,500 plots to be developed at a cost of 120 crore rupees with basic amenities like drinking water, roads, drainage system, street light, rain water harvesting facilities and parks. Of this, 14,300, 2,500, 750 and 1,950 plots would be alloted to low, middle, high income groups and economically weaker sections respectively, she said. The township would be complete with schools, commercial complexes, police station, post office, primary health centre, fire station and upgraded industrial houses funded by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, she added. The Chief Minister also announced that 1,500 flats would be built at Sholinganallur in Chennai, using 'pre-fab technology' at a cost of 612 crore rupees. The 10-storeyed buildings would have separate apartments for low, middle and higher income groups. <> In addition, another 4,454 housing units, including 1,630 independent houses, 2,792 flats and 32 upgraded houses would be developed in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Erode, Krishnagiri, Salem, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Tiruchirapalli districts at a cost of 918.45 crore rupees under the self-financing scheme, she said. Of this, 844 multi-storeyed flats would be built at a cost of 371 crore rupees in Chennai and seven surrounding localities. In Coimbatore district, a total of 344 multi-storeyed flats would be built at a cost of 50.16 crore rupees. The construction of 4,454 units would be taken up this year and completed within 24 months. Ms Jayalalithaa also said that her government has decided to demolish old and structurally weak flats and houses built by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and replace them with new ones. In the first phase, 3,500 flats would be demolished in Chennai and other districts and new ones would be built in 2013-14 at a cost of 280 crore rupees, she said.