Implementation of housing scheme in Kangra tardy

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 13

Urban local bodies in Kangra district are lagging behind in the implementation of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY). Under the scheme, the urban homeless or those having kucha houses are provided a grant of Rs 1.67 lakh for the construction of pucca houses.

At the review meeting of the scheme held by Director, Town and Country Planning, RK Purthi at Dharamsala yesterday, it was found that most of the urban bodies in Kangra, Chamba, Una and Hamirpur districts were lagging behind in the implementation of the scheme.

Officials of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation faced flak for slow implementation of the scheme in their areas. As per the data presented by the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, till date 1,329 beneficiary houses have been approved under the scheme. However, out of these, just 41 houses have received the grant and completed the work. As many as 144 houses are under construction while in the rest of the cases the construction is yet to be started.

Under the PMAY, the Government of India has kept a target of transforming all kucha houses in urban areas to pucca houses by 2022. The Director, during the review meeting, expressed concern that at this pace the target would be difficult to achieve.

The officials of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation have maintained that they can release grant to people after they raise constructions up to plinth level. In a large number of cases the people whose cases have been approved were not raising their constructions up to the plinth level, the officials maintained. In the Jawalalukhi municipal council the cases of 89 beneficiaries have been approved and funds transferred to the local urban body. However, verification of the beneficiaries of the scheme is yet to be done. The Director, during the review meeting, directed the officials of the Jawalamukhi council to complete the verification within 15 days and issue sanction letters in another 10 days.

In Dehra MC, the detailed project report of 139 beneficiaries under the PMAY scheme has been approved and funds transferred to the urban local body. However, the local body is yet to verify the credentials of the beneficiaries. The Director has ordered the officials concerned to complete the process and issue sanction letters to the beneficiaries within the next 25 days. All urban local bodies in Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur and Una districts were lagging behind in implementation of PMAY scheme. The officials of various municipal councils, while talking on the condition of anonymity, blamed the delay in implementation of scheme on inadequate staff. Most of the urban local bodies were grossly under staffed. The Dharamsala MC that is implementing the Smart City project also had demanded 30 employees from the government but the sanction is yet to come.

Inadequate staff to blame

The officials of various municipal councils, while talking on the condition of anonymity, blamed the delay in implementation of scheme on inadequate staff. Most of the urban local bodies in the state were grossly under staffed. The Dharamsala municipal corporation that is implementing the Smart City project also had demanded 30 employees from the state government but the sanction is yet to come.

About the PM Awas Yojana

• Under the Prime Minister Awas Yojna (PMAY), the Government of India has kept of a target of transforming all kucha houses in urban areas to pucca houses by 2022. 
• Under the scheme, the urban homeless or those having kucha houses are provided a grant of Rs 1.67 lakh for construction of pucca houses.
• The Director, Town and Country Planning, during the review meeting, expressed concern that at this pace the target would be difficult to achieve.