The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Probe into housing scheme irregularities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Probe into housing scheme irregularities

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 16. Giving in to the demands of political parties, the Social Welfare Minister, D. Redya Naik, on Friday announced in the Assembly that an enquiry by a senior IAS officer would be conducted into irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the implementation of weaker section housing scheme. He, however, turned down demand for a judicial enquiry.

Telugu Desam Party members staged a walkout, led by the Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandarabu Naidu, demanding that the enquiry be ordered from 1989 (when the Congress assumed charge) onwards and not 1995 (when the TDP took over), as announced by the Minister and make local bodies sanctioning authorities for these houses.

They were also protesting against the Government's decision to cancel 2.26 lakh houses through a recent order. "We can understand your anger against the TDP but why do you target the poor? It has become a Government of enquiries. The alleged misappropriation of Rs.11.52 crores is nothing considering the fact that 26 lakh houses have been constructed at a cost of Rs.2,000 crores in the last nine years. If the Government wants, it can order any enquiry. We are ready to face it," Mr. Naidu said. There were angry exchanges between Congress and TDP during the two-hour long debate.

After the walkout, the Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, said the probe would cover 1983 also when the TDP first came to power. The Government had nothing against the TDP and was following the tradition set by TDP Government in 1995 when it cancelled 1.62 lakh houses allotted by the Congress Government. The cancellation would affect only those who have not begun constructing houses five months after the sanction and not poor beneficiaries. The probe was aimed at those who have misappropriated, accepted Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 for sanctioning houses, allotted three or four houses to the same family and those who have built double-storied buildings.

Making a statement on the issue raised by N. Kiran Kumar Reddy (Congress) and others under Assembly Rule 304, Mr. Redya Naik said it was a fact that there was large-scale misappropriation of funds. Action had been initiated against engineers and works inspectors. Steps were being taken to recover the misappropriated amount. In all there were 190 enquiries pending against 297 officials. The previous regime resorted to irregularities and unfair practices like allotting 500 houses each for Congress MLAs and 2,000 to defeated TDP candidates every year for sanctioning them to the poor, he said.

Amid protests from treasury benches, K. Atchan Naidu (TDP) said the Congress had no moral right to criticise his party as it was during TDP's rule from 1983 to 1989 and from 1995 to 2004 that 33 lakh houses for weaker sections were constructed. N. Narasimhaiah of the CPI(M) and C. Venkat Reddy (CPI) wanted enquiry into the irregularities.

TDP stages walkout demanding enquiry from 1989 onwards

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