Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The state government has served notices to engineers and officials of development agencies in 14 districts,where poor quality construction was found in flats built under Kanshiram Shahri Garib Awas Yojna.
The scheme was announced by Chief Minister Mayawati in 2008,aiming to provide free housing to the urban poor.
In the first phase,over 1.01 lakh flats were constructed in 71 districts by development authorities and the UP Housing and Development Board UPHDB.
The 14 districts where poor quality construction was reported include Barabanki,Ghazipur,Sant Kabir Nagar,Mahamaya Nagar,Etah,Gonda,Farrukhabad,Hardoi,Mainpuri,Muzaffarnagar,Bulandshahr,Moradabad,Kanpur and Bareilly. Over 20,500 flats have been constructed in these districts.
District Magistrates were asked to name the officials and engineers responsible and notices have been served on basis of those reports, said J N Chamber,Principal Secretary,Housing and Urban Planning Department.
In Kanpur,1,504 flats were built at a cost of Rs 26.32 crore in first phase by the Kanpur Development Authority KDA. The district administration made the allotments and gave possession to the allottees in May-June. But then,complaints began to surface about leaking roofs,missing taps,empty window panes and non-cemented floors. Officials said after the DMs report,the government has sought explanation from an executive engineer of the KDA. The KDA has been directed also to solve the problems of residents and provide all required infrastructure in their flats within 15 days, said Mukesh Kumar Meshram,District Magistrate,Kanpur.
In Mainpuri,1,500 flats were constructed by the UP Housing and Development Board in the first phase of scheme.
Here,the main complaints are about water supply and sewerage system, said Sachchidanand Dubey,District Magistrate,Mainpuri. Leaks in pipelines were found in few blocks. I have asked the Housing Board to replace the pipes and solve the other problems in 10 days.
