385 PM HOUSING UNITS IN IMBO FOR FIVE YEARS

385 PM HOUSING UNITS IN IMBO FOR FIVE YEARS

28-MAY-ENG 3

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

DELHI---------------------------The objective of providing permanent housing to the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) now appears to be hanging in the balance due to the negligence of several beneficiaries. In the Dumraon Municipal Council area, out of 1,212 beneficiaries selected between 2015 and 2021, 385 have been identified who, despite receiving the first installment of funds, have not yet commenced the construction of their homes.

Viewing the matter with gravity, the Municipal Council administration has decided to adopt a strict stance. According to the Council, only 877 beneficiaries have successfully completed the construction of their homes under the scheme thus far, while many beneficiaries involved in the remaining pending cases have remained inactive for the past five years. The administration asserts that failing to initiate construction work after receiving government funds constitutes a violation of regulations and is adversely affecting the pace of the scheme's implementation.

Rahul Kumar, the Executive Officer (EO) of the Municipal Council, stated that notices have already been issued twice to the concerned beneficiaries; however, in most cases, no satisfactory progress has been observed. A final notice will now be issued within one week. If construction work still fails to commence following this, the Municipal Council will initiate auction proceedings to recover the government funds. In this matter, the administration has not focused solely on punitive action but has also taken the initiative to understand the genuine difficulties faced by the beneficiaries. The EO has directed the supervisors associated with the scheme to personally meet with all beneficiaries with pending cases to ascertain their financial, technical, or other specific challenges. Additionally, the necessary support should be provided to ensure the speedy commencement of construction work. The responsibility for monitoring and reviewing this entire process has been entrusted to City Manager Stuti Sinha. Meanwhile, a sense of enthusiasm is evident among the 375 new beneficiaries selected under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0. The Municipal Council administration has stated that the first installment of funds has been disbursed to all beneficiaries, and most of them have already commenced construction work. Many beneficiaries are now awaiting the release of the second installment. Under this scheme, each beneficiary receives a total sum of ₹2.50 lakh, disbursed in three phases, to enable needy families to construct their own permanent homes.