CUTTACK: As many as 1,417 eligible beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) are yet to be given land by the State government for building the houses allotted to them back in 2017. Of the 1,462 persons selected for the Central government’s affordable housing scheme, only 45 have been allotted land till now.
Most of the 1,417 beneficiaries yet to construct their houses belong to Baranga, Tangi-Choudwar and Cuttack Sadar blocks. They are the original inhabitants of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Ganjam districts and worked at factories and construction sites. The beneficiaries from Baranga worked at the glass factory in the locality which was closed. Since then, they have been residing in a slum near the rail line in the area.
Similarly, labourers engaged in construction of an overbridge in Cuttack Sadar block reside in a slum built over government land. This apart, some tribals residing at Safa, Sapanpur and Gaurdagan villages in Tangi-Choudwar block too are yet to be allotted land.
The Revenue and Disaster Management department in a letter dated June 11, 2018 had instructed all district Collectors to provide land to eligible beneficiaries of PMAY as per Odisha Government Land Settlement (OGLS) Act and Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment (OPLE) Act to facilitate them in constructing their houses.
The letter had stated that as many as 31,587 beneficiaries selected under the scheme on priority basis across the State were unable to build the houses as they did not have possession of the required two decimal land. The letter had also suggested all district Collectors to instruct the tehsildars to identify landless beneficiaries in their respective localities and provide homestead land to them so that they can avail the benefits of the Central housing scheme.
Assistant Project Director, DRDA, Cuttack BB Nayak said it is not possible to allot homestead land to beneficiaries residing in urban areas due to the high cost of real estate. “The tehsildars have been instructed to make alternative arrangements for them,” he said.