The State government issued G.O. 395 pertaining to the allotment of house sites for journalists on Friday.
As per the G.O., the maximum extent of land for each Journalist will be 3 cents. Journalists who are currently accredited and having at least five years of experience in media alone are eligible for house sites.
Eligibility criteria
If the journalist, or spouse of journalist has been allotted house site earlier under any government scheme, they are ineligible. Any regular employee of the government departments, PSUs, and corporations holding accreditation cards is not eligible to apply for the ‘Journalists’ Housing Scheme’.
Journalists who already own a house site/flat/house etc. in their name, or in the name of their spouse, in the place where they are working/residing, cannot be considered for grant of house site, the G.O. says.
The cost of the land shall be shared in the ratio of 60:40 (Government: Journalist). The allottee should complete the construction of house in the allotted site within a period of 10 years from the date of handing over the site.
A rider
The allotment would be cancelled if the construction is not completed within 10 years from the date of handing over the site. Journalists who are allotted house sites and who have constructed houses are permitted to dispose of the house 10 years after physical possession of the site has been handed over to them, without further reference to the government.
The journalists desirous of applying for house sites should file an application to the Commissioner, I&PR, within 45 days from the date of opening the website application for registration.
The Commissioner, I&PR, should verify and furnish the list of such eligible accredited journalists to the district Collectors concerned. Upon receipt of such requests, the district-level committees should identify suitable land fit for house sites for allocation to the eligible journalists.
House sites may be allotted within the district where the journalist is working/residing. Priority shall be given for allotment within the mandal where the journalist is working/residing. Beneficiary data may be kept online, duly linking with Aadhaar for future purpose, on a website provided for the purpose by the I&PR Commissioner and the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration, the G.O. says.
