Over 1,900 new pukka houses under construction in J-K's Rajouri

Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 12 : The construction of over 1,900 new pukka houses is underway for families below the poverty line in the far-flung hilly areas of Dharsakri village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. The houses are built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
Nearly all the people of the village live in kaccha houses and face problems during monsoon and winter months due to snowfall and heavy rain in the region.
"People in this village are very poor. They live in terrible conditions and dread the rainy and winter season as their houses often get wrecked in harsh weather. Small villages are often neglected by authorities so we are very grateful for this initiative. People are glad that they will now have steady roofs over their heads," Aijaz Ahmed, Sarpanch of Dharsakri told ANI.
"From 2019 till now, we have given pension to so many people and government schemes have also been implemented well, especially for new mothers and the elderly," Ahmed added.
Muhammad Hussain, a new PMAY householder said that their kaccha houses would often fall over due to thunderstorms.
"We get a lot of rain and snow in our village. In harsh weather, our houses used to fall down and we used to dread strong winds. The living conditions were very difficult. These pukka houses are going to change our lives," Hussain said.
An additional inevitable upside to the ongoing project is the generation of employment.
According to Salam Din, Block Development Officer (BDO) of the Kotranka Budhal block, several people have been employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment (MGNREGA).
"Several construction workers have been employed under MGNREGA for the construction of these pukka houses. Other projects like ponds, harvesting, and plantations will also be started soon for land development," Din said.