Three days after it picked 3,664 beneficiaries by drawing a lottery for apartments under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAYU), the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has begun the process of weeding out “bogus winners”. The civic body suspects that a section of the winners had submitted bogus documents while applying for the flats or hidden information about prior ownership of homes in their own name or spouse's name. "We are now starting the physical verification process of the documents. While applying for the flat, the beneficiaries had submitted documents and a demand draft. On the basis of these documents, we held a draw of lots and allotted them the flats. Now, we will have to establish whether they are the right beneficiaries as per our eligibility criteria," Assistant Municipal Commissioner Anna Bodade told The Indian Express on Tuesday. In order to claim a PMAY(U) apartment under EWS category, the beneficiary should not have a flat in his or her name anywhere in the country. He or she should have an annual salary of less than Rs 3 lakh, and should be able to supply all the necessary documents. Civic officials also have to ensure that the documents submitted are not fraudulent. "We will tie up with the office of Inspector General of Registeration to authenticate the documents by the beneficiary," said Bodade. BJP leader Sarang Kamtekar said when a similar project was implemented a few years ago, several bogus beneficiaries were detected. "Some people already had a flat in their name. When they get another under PMAY, they may rent it out while genuine potential benefiries are deprived of the opportunity.. Some beneficiaries also submit documents which do not belong to them. PCMC should weed out such bogus claimants to ensure that people who really do not have flats in their own names get their own property. That is the purpose of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Kamtekar. Bodade said once the bogus claimants are weeded out, the civic body will allot flats to those in the waiting list. "While announcing the winners on Saturday, we had also announced the waiting list. If say 100 winners are removed, we will include the 100 from the waiting list," said Bodade. The flats are being constructed in Charholi, Borhadewadi and Ravet areas within PCMC limits. The cost of flats ranges between from Rs 7 to 9 lakh, and the central government provides a subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakh. The beneficiaries will have to book the allotted flat by paying 10 per cent of the total cost "We will also facilitate bank loans for them for the rest of the amount. The beneficiaries will have to submit proper documents. to get the bank loans," said Bodade. - Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.
