Houses being constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in urban areas of the state will henceforth have branded accessories and fittings, according to a directive issued by state urban development secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh.

Singh, who held a review meeting in Ranchi on Saturday, directed Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Juidco) to ensure that tiles, bathroom fittings, wall paint and accessories used are of uniform colour and sourced from reputed branded companies.

“Accessories, tiles and wall paint of PMAY houses across urban areas should be of same colour and of similar branded companies so that there is no compromise in quality. Even materials used in making the houses should be of same quality. Juidco officials should ensure that there are no deviations in any of the houses built under the scheme,” Singh said.

The urban development secretary directed officials to ensure that branded household fittings, like fans, water taps and lights are used in the houses meant for PMAY urban beneficiaries.

Singh said provisions should be made in the houses for installation of TVs and curtains before handing them over to beneficiaries.

“There should be provision for installing household gadgets, like curtains, etc, so that beneficiaries do not have drill holes in the walls on their own. There should be centralised training of masons and workers engaged in construction of houses and buildings under PMAY so that there is uniformity in the work. No worker or mason should be engaged in PMAY urban houses without training from Juidco,” he added.

As many as 71,979 houses are being built under PMAY for the urban poor without homes of their own. A detailed project report to construct 44,658 houses at a cost of Rs 2167 crore has been completed so far.

The urban development secretary asked officials to complete work on the new Ranchi Municipal Corporation building at Kutchery Chowk in Ranchi by October 15.

He also expressed displeasure at the pace of construction of projects under Ranchi Smart City.

He said he would not allow the deadline to be extended by more than six months for completing construction of Jharkhand Urban Planning Management Institute (Jupmi), convention centre and civic tower.