Cabiet approves military housing projects

New Delhi: In an attempt to provide adequate residential accommodation to soldiers and their families, the Cabinet has approved a Rs 9,396 crore project to construct 67,000 dwelling units for Armed Force personnel across the country.

The project, which will provide 58,000 units for the Army, 5,238 for the Air Force and 3,762 for the Navy, will be completed by 2012 and is part of the Married Accommodation Project (MAP), initiated in 2001.

“The project will provide a major fillip to a large number of jawans and officers by enabling them to stay with their families in many locations, thereby reducing their stress level, as has been pointed out in several studies,” a Defence Ministry statement said.

The Armed Forces are currently suffering from a large deficit in accommodation for families at various stations, because of which personnel have to live far from their spouses and relatives. A common complaint has been that the compensation given for non-allotment of official quarters doesn’t cover the costs of renting private accommodation.

Over Rs 3,465 crore has already been spent on the first phase of MAP and 10,637 dwelling units have been completed. Work is currently in progress at 51 military stations.