Labour shortage hits 2BHK housing scheme in Hyderabad

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government’s plans to build one lakh 2BHK houses for the poor seem to have hit a pause button due to labour shortage and other problems in Hyderabad.

According to a Right to Information Act (RTI) query filed by city-based civic activist Robin Zaccheus, out of the 49 2BHK housing projects scheduled across Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, only eight projects in Bogaram, Sainagar, Bandlaguda, Kulsumpura, and Adarsh Nagar are in process.

Status of construction works of 2,691 housing units is postponed due to labour shortage and Covid-19 pandemic. Other causes for the delays in the 2 BHK projects include conflicts between the GHMC and the construction company, which is witnessed in four projects. In four locations, the project came to a halt due to a court case.

In Bandamaisamma and Ambedkar Nagar, construction works could not take off as beneficiaries refused to vacate their houses. Apart from location disputes with religious structures, railways left two projects in limbo.

The excuse of labour deficiency due to the pandemic is not likely as it cannot be applied since private construction firms are not facing such an issue across the city, Zaccheus told the media.

Another RTI reply received by him said that the government had used Rs 10,800 crore out of the approved Rs 14,786 crore till May 8.

Experts in the real estate sector said the labour deficiency problem is not as severe as it was in 2020 and 2021. Post-Covid, three major trickle effects are still prevailing. The construction labour capacity has not recovered fully as many who returned home during the Covid-19 pandemic have decided to settle down in their villages. Secondly, the cost of labour has grown substantially due to the shortage and finally, many projects are still encountering severe delays, Ashwin Rao, managing partner of Akshara Group, told the media.

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