BHUBANESWAR: Expressing deep concern over deprivation of many eligible households in her constituency from the benefit of rural housing scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Bhubaneswar BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi has sought immediate intervention of the State government.
Writing separately to Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra, Panchayati Raj Principal Secretary Ashok Meena and Khurda Collector Sanata Mohanty, the BJP MP said most of the residents of Sathipadar Sahi in Lendu panchayat of Tangi block, and Nua Sahi and Adivasi Sahi of Manibandh panchayat in Bolgarh block are still living in thatched and mud houses.
Enclosing pictures of the people living in thatched houses, Sarangi said, “It is the matter of profound regret that most of the residents of these villages of Bolgarh and Tangi blocks are still living in thatched and mud houses. It was pathetic for me to see the poor living conditions of people.” Stating that the residents of Manibandha village were having homestead plots in their names, the BJP MP said she failed to understand why these eligible people are still deprived of PMAY houses. She requested the Chief Secretary to direct the department for an inquiry and take suitable measures to cover them under the Central scheme at the earliest.
Earlier, the BJP MP had alleged large-scale regularities in selection of beneficiaries under PMAY in Begunia block and listed out names of 32 beneficiaries who are not eligible but selected for housing assistance under political consideration. She said eligible applicants have been intentionally deleted from the approved list and ineligible households, who have been allotted pucca houses earlier, have received second allotment.Estimating the housing scam at `1,000 crore, the BJP, which launched a three-day Statewide agitation in July, had demanded a CBI probe into the scam on the basis of the report of the Central team shared with the government recently.