Problems in providing housing to poor people under Basava Indira Housing Scheme dominated the general body meeting of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat here on Tuesday.
Raising the issue, Rama Kulal, member, said many eligible poor people in his Perdoor constituency could not be provided houses under the scheme. The implementation of the scheme left a lot to be desired, he added.
Veronica Carnelio, member, said the conditions imposed by the Government for providing housing under the scheme proved to be a major obstacle. Too many records were being asked by the officials. Even those poor people who had encroached upon government land and were living there illegally were not being provided houses under the scheme.
Under the scheme, the Union Government provided Rs. 33,750 and State Government gave Rs. 16,250. While banks provided a loan of Rs. 10,000 under Differential Rate of Interest (DRI), the beneficiary had to contribute at least Rs. 3,500 for the construction of a house. Thus, Rs. 63,500 was being provided under the scheme to a beneficiary, Ms. Carnelio said.
Intervening, Executive Officer of the taluk panchayat D. Manjunathayya said that efforts would be made to provide houses to the beneficiaries.
President of the taluk panchayat Devadas Hebbar said that officers of other departments living in the quarters of the taluk panchayat in various places had been asked to vacate by May 31. This was because the taluk panchayat had to provide the quarters to the panchayat development officers appointed by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
The meeting decided to provide a portion of the ground floor of the taluk panchayat office to any bank which would open its branch there. Mr. Hebbar said that tenders would be floated and the space would be provided to the highest bidder. “We want to get a rent of at least Rs. 50,000 a month”, he said.
A stree shakti bhavan and a commercial complex would be built on the taluk panchayat office premises. The aim of constructing the commercial complex was to augment the revenue of the taluk panchayat. “We want to get a rent of Rs. 4 lakh a month,” he said.
Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLC, and taluk panchayat vice-president Baby Poojarti were present.
