After much ado, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, i.e. the scheme meant to Housing for All (Urban) has started to materialise on ground in State capital with land measurement under the ambitious centre-funded housing scheme commencing in four wards of the city.
Junior engineers from Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) began measuring land plots for homes to be built under the urban housing scheme in ward numbers 34, 49, 52 and 53 from Monday. The layout of the homes will be chalked out later based on these measurements.
land measurement is being carried out in wards with the highest number of applicants approved by RMC under the scheme in order to finish work on time, informed one of the ward councillors on RMC Board.
In this leg of the project, more than 800 beneficiaries will be covered across the four selected wards, stated Mayor Asha lakra. “This number is expected to grow in days to come. We have laid down the target of bringing 8,000 people without homes to their names under the aegis of this urban housing initiative. Regular meetings are being convened everyday to determine the course of PMAY in Ranchi,” she said.
The project came across hindrances a few months ago when ward councillors blamed RMC administrative officials of inducing discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries approved under the scheme. The said list was then revised and with ward councillors keeping close watch on those included in it.
In the first phase of PMAY, applicants with lands of their own have been selected by RMC for availing the benefits of this scheme. The selected beneficiaries will have the responsibility of building their homes on their own with government providing funds in instalments at different stages of construction.
“Funds to the tune of Rs 2.25 lakhs will be disbursed among the beneficiaries in four parts – first when they complete digging the foundation for their homes, second when they finish work on the plinth of the structure, third when roofing is done and lastly, the fourth instalment before finishing. Rs 12,000 more will be handed over for constructing toilets under Swachchh Bharat Mission to beneficiaries who have not availed this scheme yet,” said Ramendra Prasad, Project leader, PMAY.
Considering the limited manpower we have at our disposal, we demonstrate the correct way of measuring land plots to local masons and so that they can carry on our work swiftly, he added.
Although, RMC has laid down July 25 as the deadline to finish drafting layouts and begin construction work under PMAY, a slew of problems have started to crop up right at the beginning of measurement process.
“With monsoon here, several beneficiaries have invested their time in agriculture. Moreover, those who already are living in a shack on their land do not want to demolish it during rains,” said Ward-52 Councillor Pushpa Tirkey.
“Paperwork establishing the applicant’s ownership over their land plots has not been furnished, making it difficult to begin measurement work in right earnest. I wanted to cover as much as three to four hundred beneficiaries but lack of documents has limited that number to less than 50 in my ward,” said Ramadhar Singh, Ward-34 Councillor.