Journalists' Housing Issue To Be Resolved By June 2

Telangana Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy today said that the State government was committed to allotting house sites to eligible journalists.

He referred to earlier statements made by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who said that he would take all opinions into account and aim to resolve the issue by June 2.

The minister convened a meeting in his office at the Secretariat with representatives from Jawaharlal Nehru Housing Society, Journalists' Housing Society, Deccan Journalists Housing Society and Telangana Housing Society.

Srinivas Reddy consulted the society members on the founding dates of the Hyderabad-based journalists' housing societies, their membership strengths, eligibility criteria for membership, and other relevant details.

During the meeting, the minister said that resolving the challenges would be easier if all the journalists worked together. He proposed that all the societies unite to form a Joint Action Committee (JAC).

He also said that house sites would also be allotted to eligible journalists who were not members of any journalistic associations, and urged everyone to support the process to ensure it was carried out without criticism or doubt.

Reddy recalled that the previous Congress government had allocated house sites to journalists earlier, and said that the current government too was committed to the welfare of journalists and that proactive steps would be taken to resolve the long-standing housing plot issue by June 2.

He added that the current Congress government was also addressing the long-pending housing issue of the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalist Housing Society, which had remained unresolved for 18 years. Although a meeting had been held at Ravindra Bharathi with journalists' families to formally allot land, the matter had stalled due to legal challenges, he said.

He also said that CM Revanth Reddy was optimistic and willing to allocate housing plots in the Future City not only to MLAs and bureaucrats but also to journalists residing in Hyderabad.

Srinivas Reddy also held a separate meeting with representatives of the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalist Housing Society. The members said that they had contributed Rs 2 lakh each towards housing plots 18 years ago, and requested the minister to prioritise their society during the allocation process considering their long-standing commitment. Reddy advised them to place the matter before members, pass a resolution, and submit it to the government.