It was a day when the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) had to face more heat from within the ruling front than from the opposition, as a Communist Party of India (CPI) councillor launched an attack on it for issues in the implementation of the Pradhan Manthri Awaaz Yojana (PMAY).
CPI councillor Solomon Vettukad raised the criticism saying that the beneficiaries living in ‘puramboke’ land are facing difficulties due to the requirement that they have to get an attestation from the tahsildar to prove their land ownership, which is mandatory to apply for the scheme.
“Why is the Corporation demanding this? Why not an attestation by the village officer? If it continues this way, the PMAY project will not get implemented here,” he said.
This intervention provided fodder for the councillors of the Opposition BJP and UDF. UDF councillor Beemapally Rasheed lauded Mr. Vettukad for raising a subject the Opposition councillors had failed to study.
BJP councillor Girikumar said that the political leadership at the Corporation was thinking of ways not to implement the PMAY scheme. He demanded that the list of beneficiaries in the second phase be provided, as there are doubts that names not recommended by the councillors were included.
LDF councillor Palayam Rajan said that the Corporation had successfully implemented housing schemes like BSUP and RAY. “There have been legal issues in the past when village officers had provided attestation for ‘puramboke’ land for housing schemes. We can perhaps have a review every three months to ensure the smooth progress of the scheme,” he said.
Mayor’s response
Mayor V.K. Prasanth, in his reply to Solomon Vettukad, said that the Detailed Project Report of the PMAY project was prepared as per Central guidelines. “We organised several adalats to solve the beneficiaries’ issues. Those living in ‘puramboke’ land can be included in the LIFE housing project and accommodated in flats. The government has to decide whether the village officer can provide attestation for land ownership for those living in ‘puramboke’ or those without title deed,” said the Mayor.
In an apparent jibe at the CPI councillor, the Mayor said “the councillor can use his influence to get a favourable decision on this from the Revenue Department.”