VIJAYAWADA: Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister Ponguru Narayana ordered an inquiry into the irregularities in selection of beneficiaries and payment of Demand Drafts (DDs) related to the TIDCO houses.
The announcement was made by the Minister, in the Legislative Assembly during the short discussion on the TIDCO housing scheme with several MLAs complaining about the irregularities in the housing scheme during the previous YSRC regime.
As many as 18 MLAs participated in the discussion brought up the anomalies in the implementation of TIDCO scheme in their respective constituencies and sought stringent action against those behind the irregularities.
Responding to the issues raised by the members, Narayana said that the beneficiaries and contractors are facing severe hardships due to the unwise decisions of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Stating that the beneficiaries selected for TIDCO houses during the TDP regime between 2014 -19 were removed from the list and instances of beneficiaries not depositing the DDs paid by the beneficiaries in banks came to the notice of the government, Narayana said that an inquiry was ordered on both the issues.
Admitting that beneficiaries faced several difficulties because of the decisions by the previous government, Narayana said that while the banks demanded repayment of loans from the beneficiaries, who did not complete the construction of houses, the latter were not in a position to clear the loans. The State government is pursuing the matter with the bankers, he said.
Recalling that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu dismissed the proposal to paint party colours to TIDSO houses when the TDP was in power, the Minister said they have painted colours on par with the colours being painted to gated community housing.
However, the previous YSRC government changed the colours and bills to the tune of Rs 540 crore were kept pending for contractors. Saying that the colours were painted without getting the administration sanctions, Narayana said that such bills cannot be cleared.
However, a decision on the issues of contractors will be taken by constituting a committee with chief engineers, he said.
The Minister informed the House that funds to the tune of Rs 5,200 crore are required for providing infrastructure facilities to TIDCO houses and the government is trying to get loans from HUDCO and other banks to complete the works at the earliest. Recalling that the then TDP government succeeded in getting the Central approvals for 7.1 lakh TIDCO houses, Narayana said that plans were prepared to develop the houses each at a cost of Rs 3.90 lakh (1.50 lakh each from the Centre and State governments and another 90,000 for infrastructure).