Taking a cue from Tata’s Rs 1-lakh car, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati plans to build houses costing Rs 1 lakh for the economically weaker section (EWS) of the society. To achieve this, the state Government is planning to use pre-fabricated building technique. Negotiations are on with Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL) — a Government of India enterprise that made a presentation in this connection at the Awas Bandhu office here, two weeks ago.

“The response of the state Government was positive. They have even assured us land near Ghaziabad for setting up our plant,” confirmed HPL Project Coordinator A K Gaur. “The idea was conceived after we received complaints regarding poor construction of houses built by the Government for the weaker section. In pre-fabricated construction, quality is ensured, but at the same time its cost goes up. Hence, we want to use pre-fabricated base structure and complete the rest of the construction by conventional building method,” said Director of Awas Bandhu, S C Mishra.

The official calculations estimate the cost of an EWS house — built by the Housing and Urban Development Board through conventional method — at Rs 600 per square feet. On the other hand, pre-fabricated house costs not less than Rs 700 per sq ft. “The technique proves economical in mass housing projects costing over Rs 100 crore,” claimed Gaur. The cost comes down in terms of hours and manpower. “One single unit can be put up in 24 hours,” added Gaur. Besides, by reducing the thickness of the walls and thereby, using less steel, cost can be brought down further,” claimed Gaur.

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