The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State government and others to explain within four weeks why the nearly one lakh double bedroom houses built by the State government were not being allocated to beneficiaries despite completion of construction.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy passed the direction, after hearing a PIL petition. In addition to the State government represented by the Chief Secretary, notices were issued to Housing Secretary, vice-chairman and managing director of Housing Corporation, GHMC Commissioner, Housing and Urban Development Corporation chairman and Collectors of all 33 districts in the State.
The petition was filed by N. Indrasena Reddy, former MLA and BJP leader, stating that the government had not allotted the completed houses to the beneficiaries for the past one year. According to the petitioner, 1,00,087 houses were ready for occupation but the government chose to allot only 12,656 of them to the beneficiaries, the petitioner’s counsel Srujan Kumar Reddy said.
While hearing contentions of the petitioner’s counsel, CJ Satish Chandra Sharma observed that the petitioner should wait for four more weeks having waited for one year over the issue of allotment of the houses. “This court will wake up the officials,” the CJ said.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that the District Collectors were not allotting the completed double bed-room houses due to political pressure. With the completed houses unoccupied, some miscreants were taking advantage and indulging in theft of doors, windows and electric switch boards, he said.
The matter was posted after four weeks for hearing.
