Shillong: The ambitious housing project of the State Government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for urban poor people of the city will be completed within 18 months. The two-phase housing project estimated at Rs 30.44 crore has been handed over to Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL) for execution and the housing units will be constructed in a nine-acre area at Lumphira in Nongmynsong on the city outskirts to accommodate 600 families. Urban Affairs Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday said, "90 per cent of the total cost of the project would be borne by the Central Government while the rest 10 per cent would be funded by the State Government." It may be mentioned that Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja laid the foundation of the project on December 20 last year. The proposed housing complex under JNNURM will have facilities like community centre, healthcare unit, livelihood centre and sewerage and drainage system. The dwelling units at the complex would be allotted to poor people of the indigenous tribal communities keeping in view the provisions of the Land Transfer Act. The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) will identify the beneficiaries. HPL CMD Jaiveer Srivastava said Shilong had been included among 63 cities in the country to receive a facelift under the JNNURM. "Another five slum development programmes for the State are in the pipeline. The detailed project reports of the programmes had already been submitted to the Centre," he said. Tura has also been covered under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSPDP) of JNNURM and an amount of Rs 21 crore had been earmarked for the project in the heart of Garo Hills.