Beneficiaries of the Valmiki Ambedkar Awaas Yojna (Vambay) scheme at Papi Reddy Nagar, Serilingampally, who have been waiting for completion of construction of their allotted flats in all aspects for the past five years, are in for a shock.
If they happen to visit the colony on the outskirts, the 50-odd beneficiaries having paid all the instalments will realise that most houses are now under illegal occupation with vagabonds, urchins and local goons. The flats have remained vacant for long and were not handed over to even those who had paid the full amount, said Ranga Reddy district officials.
Delay“Construction of 300 flats was finished in 2009 by the GHMC but infrastructural works are still pending. Due to delay in handing over, the houses were occupied by outsiders. We are making efforts to have them evicted with police support,” said Project Officer of Rajiv Gruha Kalpa scheme J. Srinivas Reddy.
K. Mastan, living alongside the railway track near BHEL, is one among the 50 hapless beneficiaries. “I paid Rs.6,000 around 12 years ago, and Rs.54,000 in June last year, in the hope of getting a pucca house. We were promised that the Vambay flat would be handed over within a week after the payment, but that has not happened so far. After eight months, I’m still doing futile rounds of the GHMC and Ranga Reddy Collectorate,” he said.
The situation is no better for beneficiaries of Vambay houses at other locations either.
Of the 4,228 houses in seven colonies where construction was finished by 2009, only 195 were handed over.
The housing projects for urban poor were initiated at locations such as Uppal, IDPL, Ammuguda, Kowkur, Lakshmiguda and Karmanghat way back in 2001.
Though initially taken up by the A.P Housing Board, they were later shifted to GHMC which had spent from its own funds to finish the construction, when faced with reluctance from bankers to sanction loans for the beneficiaries.
Incomplete worksHowever, infrastructural works were still incomplete for quite a few colonies which, officials said, the GHMC was not willing to take up. “Even for cancelling the allotment for defaulters and allotting them afresh, the infrastructural works have to be complete,” Mr. Reddy pointed out.
Over 550 of the 758 allottees paid the amount in full and are still waiting for the houses. Many allottees also did not turn up with the instalments despite repeated reminders, as there was heavy cost escalation, from the initial Rs.60,000 per unit.
GHMC Engineer-in-Chief R. Dhan Singh, when contacted, said the corporation was yet to receive nearly Rs.30 crore spent for the construction with only Rs. 1 crore deposited so far.
District Collector B. Sridhar, however, said the process of handing over would be expedited soon. Demands from legislators to re-allot houses to local people were delaying the process, he added.
