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| Needy continuing in temporary sheds, affluent, influential hijack IAY in J&K | | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Feb 10: Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) propounded to be one of the significant achievements of Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre has failed to provide benefits to the people of the state who don't have any shelter.
Sources told Early Times that the scheme has failed on the ground with the deserving continuing to live in temporary sheds (made of clay) that may collapse at any point of time. Not only this in some of the cases, IAY has been given to people who are living above the poverty line or have already a concrete house.
Zadi Mohalla located in the Pattan block of North Kashmir's Baramulla district is one such area that has been neglected as far as providing shelter to the deserved under IAY scheme. With majority of the people living below the poverty line the inhabitants of this village were fit to be given housing under IAY scheme.
"IAY cases have been sanctioned for few families with the majority being forced to live in temporary houses. IAY can be easily extended to more than 40 families living in our village. Despite repeated promises the concerned government officials have failed and as such we have been left high and dry," said a group of residents of Zadi Mohalla while sharing views with Early Times.
The residents said that IAY has been sanctioned in favour of five families in the village with the remaining 90 percent families being deprived of the scheme aimed to provide shelter to shelter less. They said that since they don't have the money with them they are forced to wait for a scheme like IAY to provide them shelter.
"This whole village consists of poor people who with extreme difficulty make the two ends meet. There are no savings that could be utilized for construction of houses and as such we are forced to construct temporary sheds. We have projected our demands at different quarters, but as on date the demands exist with no solution in sight," said the villagers.
The villagers said that they are in no position to bribe the officials of Department of Rural Development so that their cases are forwarded for sanction under IAY scheme. They allege that the Panchayat representatives have also ditched them in this regard and they too have failed to deliver.
"The officials of Block Development Officer, Pattan are fully aware about our condition, but still then they would never take up our case seriously. This is due to the fact that we cannot grease their palms in this regard. At the same time Panchs and Sarpanch are also demanding money so that the cases are sanctioned. This is the height of corruption and we have been tormented," said the villagers.
The villagers mock at the government claims that Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) can be utilized by masses in case their genuine issues remain pending in government departments for a long time. They say that at times they are not being allowed in by the officials manning higher positions and thrown out with utter disrespect. |
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