Kerala State Housing Board employees say the Board is in dire straits with even statutory payments pending for many of its 800 retired employees and salaries pending for more than 250 employees for the month of May.
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Representatives of the employees claimed that the Board had substantial capital in the form of land holdings. If the land holdings of around 130 acres can be leveraged, the Board’s fortunes can be permanently revived, bringing it back to its old glory.
Minister for Revenue and Housing K. Rajan said the crisis was temporary. He said the Board had initiated procedures to get ₹7.5 crore from the State government. The money forms rent arrears from various government departments.
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The Minister said the file for the release of the money was pending with the Finance Ministry and he expected it to be released soon.
P. Radhakrishnan, organising secretary of the Housing Board Technical Employees’ Association, said the State government was yet to pay around ₹241 crore in arrears for writing off housing loans of economically weaker sections.
K.J. Xavier, general secretary of KSHB Employees’ Union, AITUC, said the Board had been providing concessions and waivers to the economically weaker sections from its inception under schemes like Maithri Housing, Rajiv Gandhi Million Housing Scheme and rehabilitation after the epic floods in the State.
It is learnt that the Board’s establishment cost comes to around ₹4.5 crore per month but the amount is not realised from the rents of its buildings across the State. However, the employees claim that the government must intervene as the Board is not a loss-making institution but one which has been serving thousands of members of the economically weaker section to meet their housing requirements under the directive of the State government.
Employees have also raised the issue of concessions in rent provided during five months of COVID-19 under government instructions. The dues from these concessions amount to around ₹1.25 crore per month.