New Delhi:The need to provide housing for journalists in the national capital was raised in Lok Sabha today with Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu saying he will keep the suggestion in mind.
K V Thomas (Cong) said during Question Hour that a lot of journalists from across the country come to the city for work and government should step in to provide them accommodation.
Those already staying in government houses should not be asked to vacate, he said.
Responding to him, Naidu said, “It is a popular question and suggestion … I shall keep this in mind.”
Naidu rejected a member’s charge that Delhi Development Authority is “famous for poor quality housing, inordinate delay and corruption”, but admitted that there was some problem and he had recently held a review meeting with DDA officials.
The minister said he was not aware of the value of the land the government body held and it was giving land for public purposes.
Dismissing suggestion that it gave land free of cost to private parties for certain purposes like hospital or schools, he said land was given either through auction or at a pre-determined price.
The House witnessed some lighter moments when Naidu was asked by some members to work for rural housing as well.
He replied that he might have come from rural background but has been put in charge of urban development, prompting many, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to break into smile.
PTI
