Steel frame technology from New Zealand would be used for building Light House Project (LHP) in Agartala, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After laying the foundation stone for the Light House Project along with Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb via a video conference, the Prime Minister said, “In Agartala, we are building homes using steel frame technology from New Zealand. This is to prevent the houses from the perpetual risk of earthquakes.”
While extending gratitude to the Prime Minister and Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri for initiating the LHP in Agartala, Deb said, “the people of Tripura never even imagined that Economically Weaker Sections will get such an opportunity for living in high-tech buildings.”
“It’s an honour to the Economically Weaker Sections given by our Prime Minister– it will spread a positive message among the masses,” Deb told the Media.
Addressing the ceremony, the Prime Minister also said the worldwide challenge of COVID-19 has given the scope to innovate and incubate with new technology.
On Friday, he laid foundation stones for total six Light House Projects across the country. Meanwhile, the Light House Projects have been initiated under the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC-India).
The projects have been conceptualised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The project aims to identify and mainstream several innovative technologies from across the world which are sustainable and disaster-resilient.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, “at one time, housing schemes were not the priority for the Central Governments as much as it should have been.”
“However, we know that transformation is impossible without all-around development. The country has adopted a new approach and a different road ahead,” he said.
He also said that these six projects are really like lighthouses. These six projects will show a new direction to the housing construction in the country.
“These projects are incubation centres for our planners, engineers, architects and students to learn from. They will also be able to experiment on new technology,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said to promote research and innovation, we’re running the ASHA India project. Through this, we’re developing new and cheap technology to build houses for the 21st century.
Earlier in the day, Modi tweeted, “On the first day of 2021, will be taking part in a programme aimed at transforming India’s urban landscape. Will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects and distribute PMAY (Urban) and ASHA-India Awards.”
Under the project, LHPs will be constructed in Agartala, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, Chennai and Ranchi, with each location getting more than 1,000 houses for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
The period of construction is maximum 12 months from the date these sites are handed over to the construction agency after all statutory approvals.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, and Chief Ministers of Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh respectively, also addressed the programme.