The project aims to have 601,727 units built for low-income families across the country between 2003 and 2008.

Pouring her heart out before the end of her governorship next month, Chuanpit revealed that the project had suffered losses worth nearly Bt1 billion in the first year, Bt1 billion in the second and Bt1 billion in the third year.

"Although we have operated on losses for four years and have been attacked by various groups recently, our team is determined to seek funding and complete the task.

"We are giving our all to achieve [caretaker] Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's goal of building homes for poor people like in Russia," she said.

The project - whose name literally means "generous home" - became an instant hit, with people clamouring to reserve units, Chuanpit recalled.

The premier learned of the high demand and asked if the NHA could build 100,000 units a year, a question to which she could not say no.

So began the task of constructing 600,000 units in five years.

Asked whether the scheme would continue if the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party were not elected to the new government, Chuanpit said that despite its many obstacles, she would feel sorry if it was discontinued.

She said that over the past four years of her governership, the government had paid nearly Bt17 billion into the Ua Athorn scheme and construction contracts were signed for over 300,000 units, most of which were under construction.

Five estates have been completed so far - in Bangkok's Prachaniwet, Hua Mark and Bang Chalong areas, as well as in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani's Rangsit Klong 3, she said.

With her deputy, Pornsak Boonyodom, waiting for Cabinet approval to take over her position, Chuanpit said the new governor would have to find new tasks to increase the NHA's earnings, as well as continue building low-priced housing for low-income people until the goal of 600,000 units was achieved.

Pornsak said that when the NHA took up the scheme they expected to build about 40,000 units a year, judging from their previous experience of building a maximum of 20,000 housing units per year.

He also dismissed fears that the authority might keep some units for wealthy people, by saying that if the NHA found that wealthy people had leased project houses, the houses would be seized.

He said the reason why poor people were able to buy a house for Bt390,000 was because the NHA acted as their guarantor for the first five years.

The authority is, however, preparing for complaints about the quality of the houses, which are being built on a limited budget, he said.

Another NHA deputy governor, Thitanont Pibulnakarin, said he did not want people to look at the estates as "loft slums" because once they were complete people could move in and manage their own homes.

Another deputy governor in charge of marketing, Soravuth Thangkapol, said that from his 30-year work experience he viewed the project as a worthy one as it enabled poor people to have their own homes.

"Every government tried to do this, but none [set up a scheme] as devoted as this project," he said.

He admitted that the project was plagued with problems but that the NHA had solved most of them.

Surapol Channoi, another NHA deputy governor, said the project aimed to improve people's quality of life and create a good and caring society while providing vocational training for them.

The setting up of a cooperative for each estate is a tool for them to start with, he said.

Meanwhile, Woranuch Jitthansathaporn, another NHA deputy governor, said she used to work on city slums and knew about the hardships people living in them faced.

"In the past we only fixed the paths in the slums but now we are building them homes that they could own. Before, we built 1,000 units at a time but now we are building 100,000 a year and we are working very hard," Woranuch said.

"Reaching nearly 200,000 units now, we feel that we are on the right path because there are many in Thai society who don't have their own homes and people with their own homes will love society," she said.

Anan Paengnoy

The Nation