Ranchi is among six cities of the country that will roll out the Centre’s ambitious housing project for the poor based on new technology that uses prefabricated structures to build low-cost environment-friendly homes.

On New Year’s Day on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stones for the dwellings under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs titled, Light Houses Project (LHP).

The initiative, part of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), will be for economically weaker sections, ie, for those earning up to Rs 3 lakh per annum. Apart from Ranchi, the project will also be rolled in the first phase in Indore, Rajkot, Chennai, Agartala and Lucknow.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the ceremony, director of municipal administration under the state urban development department Vijaya Jadhav said that 1,008 houses are being built in Ranchi’s Dhurwa area on about seven acre land.

“The idea of LHPs is to offer state-the-art houses at affordable rates. But these will be built in record time using latest technology. In Ranchi, the houses will be built using prefabricated structures, most of which will first be constructed in workstations and will be brought here for customisation. This way, houses will be installed quickly and the process will reduce environmental hazards,” she said.

The cost of the houses, she added, would be borne by the Centre, state and the end user.

Each house would be of 315 sq feet with a bedroom, kitchen, balcony, and toilet. “There will be water and power facilities, lifts, park and other amenities in the complex,” she said, adding that Rs 133.99 crore has been earmarked for the project.

The department has roped in a Mumbai based agency, M/s SGC Magicrete LLP, for the job. The target is to complete the work in 12 months.

The Prime Minister will also felicitate best performers to mark the occasion. While Jhumri Tilaiya Nagar Parishad will be awarded for good work in civic administration, Jharkhand will get the best community mobilization award, as per a statement from urban development department.