Housing Board loses power to allot BPL, EWS dwelling units

Pradeep Sharma

Advertisement

Chandigarh, September 22

The BJP-JJP government has acted tough against the Housing Board for alleged irregularities in the allotment of plots and flats to the below poverty line (BPL) and the economically weaker section (EWS) beneficiaries by stripping of its allotment powers.

‘Erroneous’ allotment

• The recent Vigilance inquiry into the alleged scam, involving the ‘erroneous’ allotment of at least 408 flats for EWS by the Housing Board in six sectors of Gurugram, seems to have acted a trigger for action against the board
• The draw of lots for allotment of these flats, which was held in 2021, was later challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court

Now, the Housing for All Department has been mandated to allot dwelling units to the BPL/EWS allottees in all licensed colonies across Haryana. Since its inception in 1971, the Housing Board has been the coordinating agency for the allotment of dwelling units, especially to the underprivileged sections of society.

The recent Vigilance inquiry into the alleged scam involving the ‘erroneous allotment’ of at least 408 flats for EWS by the Housing Board in six sectors of Gurugram seems to have acted a trigger for action against the board. The draw of lots for allotment of these flats, which was held in 2021, was later challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Haryana Government recently informed the court that it had ordered a Vigilance probe into the alleged scam.

“The department has received a lot of complaints from the applicants and the senior town planners across the state have been apprised about the issues faced by the applicants and colonisers vis-à-vis allotment of plots and flats to the BPL and EWS beneficiaries,” Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Town and Country Planning Department, said.

Under the policy, the builders reserve 20 per cent of the total number of residential plots in residential plotted colony for allotment to eligible BPL/EWS allottees. Besides, 15 per cent of the apartments are reserved for allotment to the eligible beneficiaries in the group housing colonies.