Housing scheme beneficiaries elated as court intervenes

Expressing joy at the High Court taking cognizance of their plea and issuing a notice to the State government, women beneficiaries of the shelved housing scheme broke coconuts at Alipiri, the foot of Tirumala hills, here on Monday.

It may be recalled that the previous UPA regime had sanctioned 7,008 houses for the poor women of Tirupati, for which the then Union Minister Jairam Ramesh had laid the foundation stone in February 2014. With the change of guard, the new regime did not pursue the project and the funds to the tune of Rs. 292 crore lapsed.

Former MP Chinta Mohan, who was instrumental in securing the project, recently filed a petition in the High Court, which issued notices to the Union and the State governments, besides the district Collector, Municipal Corporation of Tirupati and Tahsildar of Yerpedu mandal to file affidavits before November 28.

As many as 50 women beneficiaries assembled at Alipiri and broke coconuts for the issue of notice to the government.

“But for this scheme, we will never get a two-bedroom house of our own for a nominal cost of Rs.4 lakh. So, the government will have to take action,” says a beneficiary Enumugodla Santhi, who resides in Sanjay Gandhi Colony in Korlagunta.

Hailing the notice as a result of the ‘divine intervention’, they prayed to Lord Venkateswara to grant them houses soon. Speaking to

The Hindu , Mr. Chinta Mohan said the Central and the State governments should shed their indifference at least now and take up the scheme at the earliest.

Hail High Court’s direction to the State government on the issue