Tamil Nadu: 435 houses under PMAY in Pudukkottai never built, exist only in files, finds probe

A probe by the Pudukkottai district administration in Tamil Nadu has found that beneficiaries of hundreds of housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) were paid the complete eligible amount but the houses exist only in files. The issue came to light when district collector Kavitha Ramu ordered a probe based on a complaint which said that several houses in the Avudaiyarkoil block were not built but payments were made entirely by the government.

An inspection was conducted in the region at every construction site. “It was found that almost half of the projects in the Avudaiyarkoil block were not even constructed but the cash was fully transferred to the accounts of the beneficiaries. It is being probed now,” said a government official.

The total number of houses to be built in the block was 869. The probe found that around 435 houses were neither built nor commenced construction even though the government had made complete payments to the beneficiary accounts.

While the administration is digging deep into bank accounts to which the payments were made, it is understood that Rs 6.97 crore has gone from the exchequer to beneficiary accounts.