Urban housing scheme renders many homeless
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 07 2012: "We were leaving peacefully though poor but after starting construction of a house under a housing scheme of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM), I'm debt-ridden", said Potshangbam (O) Sundari, a beneficiary of the urban housing scheme.

With her new house far from being complete, Sundari and her family are living in rented rooms.

Sundari is resident of Ward No 11 under Keishamthong AC .

The Government launched the scheme for construction of houses after selecting 45 beneficiaries from each constituency of the Imphal Municipal Council under JNURM's Basic Services for Urban Poor about two years back.

The scheme promised that each beneficiary would be given Rs three lakhs in four phases.

The first instalment of Rs 71,250 was given in June 2011 followed by the second instalment of same amount in April this year.

The third and fourth instalments are still pending.

As per guidelines of the scheme, the first instalment should be used in building foundation of their houses.

The second instalment should be used in construction of walls.

The third and fourth instalments should be used in roofing, installation of doors, windows and in giving finishing touch to the houses.

A beneficiary family staying inside incomplete house

After dismantling their old houses, the beneficiaries laid foundation of their new houses in the same plots and so far, they have completed construction of walls.

However, with the third and fourth instalments not yet released, the beneficiaries are unable to cover their roofs or install doors and windows.

"As one cannot live under an open house with neither roof nor windows nor doors, we are either living in rented houses or with relatives or mandops/community halls", Sundari said.

"In the meantime, many of us who took loans or borrowed money to complete the houses up to the present stage are paying interests which is an enormous burden to a family like ours", she said.

Speaking to media persons at Hodam Leirak Club today, Sundari said, "We are elated when we heard that the Government would be building houses for poor families like us but we were now facing untold misery because of the inordinate delay on the part of Government in releasing funds" .

Apart from paying interest, Sundari is paying Rs 1000 every month as house rent.

"Now with my husband seriously ill, the house-owner has openly shown his displeasure", Sundari conveyed in a sorrowful tone.

Another beneficiary Potshangbam (O) Kalyani said that their misery multiplied manifold during rainy season as both Hodam Leirak and Top Leirak are flooded every time there is rainfall, even if it is for a few hours.

The Government took almost 12 months in realising the first and second instalments and the third and fourth instalments seemed to have been put inside a locker.

This is only aggravating the plight of poor beneficiaries.

Both Sundari and Kalyani appealed to the authority concerned to release the remaining amounts in view of the hardships being faced by all the homeless beneficiaries.