Addressing a press conference organised in response to Bharatiya Janata Party city unit president Kirit Somaiya's charge on unviability of the scheme, Jain called Somaiya's remark `irrelevant and without logic'.

However, the minister could not explain Somaiya's charges regarding raising the huge project cost stating that Somaiya was airing his personal views and did not reflect BJP's declared stand on the housing project.

Two lakh free houses are expected to be provided to slum dwellers under the Rs 8,000-crore scheme to be implemented by the proposed deemed government company Shivshahi Punarvasan Prakalp (SSPP).

The housing minister stated that the state cabinet's decision on the SSPP was `unanimous' taken after `thorough discussions'. ``I personally had several talks with Somaiya alone as well as with BJP members and had cleared alltheir doubts regarding the SSPP,'' he said. On Somaiya's claims on large-scale corruption in the SSPP, Jain said, ``There will be complete transparency in all the actions.'' He offered to resign from his ministership as well as his post of chairman of the proposed company if Somaiya could ``prove corruption charges.'' ``If the SSPP succeeds, Somaiya should quit as MLA,'' he added.

The proposed company is expected to be registered within the next 10 days with its office in the MHADA building at Bandra scheduled to be inaugurated on August 17. On September 5, the tenders will be floated for contractors, finalised on September 28 and digging work expected to begin on October 2 for all the buildings at once. ``By December 1999, all two lakh houses will be ready,'' claimed Jain.

The minister maintained that the construction cost will be around Rs 600-Rs 750 per square feet. ``If Somaiya can get me someone who will build to our specifications at Rs 450 per square feet, I will be glad to allot him the work,''the minister quipped.

The minister charged Somaiya of trying to create hurdles in the SRD scheme under which 75,000 houses will be built for sale to cross subsidise the free houses for slum dwellers. These houses will have an area of 300 to 450 square feet and will be available for Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh depending on the location, Jain informed.

He said that the government had asked Society for Development Studies a private research organisation to conduct a study of the market and their report underlined a demand for ``affordable houses.'' According to the Minister it was found that almost three lakh people were willing to buy low cost houses. He plans to raise the required Rs 8,000 crore for the project by an ``interest free advance of an estimated Rs 25,000 from prospective buyers of the free sale houses.'' Besides there's always the banks and housing finance companies who will support, he informed. But as Somaiya stated, ``raising such a huge amount is no child's play.''