NMRDA deprived 72,000 of PMAY benefits: Tiwari

Nagpur: The Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (NMRDA) housing scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is engulfed in yet another controversy. BJP corporator Dayashankar Tiwari has accused NMRDA of depriving 72,000 registered people of a chance to get PMAY benefits.
Tiwari said NMRDA has started its own separate process to select beneficiaries under PMAY, instead of giving preference to people already registered under PMAY. He told TOI guardian minister Chandrashekar Bawankule has convened a meeting of officials from NMRDA and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to resolve the controversy on June 15. “I lodged a complaint with Bawankule on Monday. NMRDA has violated norms of PMAY and deserves to be pulled up,” he said.
“The government had appointed NMC as nodal agency for PMAY. NMC invited applications, conducted scrutiny by appointing NGOs, and registered 72,000 people after a lengthy process. NMRDA, which took over housing project from Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), MHADA or any other government agency developing housing scheme under PMAY were supposed to select beneficiaries from people registered with NMC,” said Tiwari.
NMRDA is about to complete housing schemes under PMAY. NMRDA sent letters to people registered with NMC and invited them to select flats as per their choice. People approached NMRDA and submitted their preference. “However, NMRDA then started another process and invited fresh applications. People registered under PMAY were unaware of the process, and now going to be deprived of the benefits,” he said.
Tiwari said NMRDA will have to consider people registered with PMAY along with those who submitted applications directly to it. “NMRDA has taken an advance of Rs10,000 in its process. Similar advance should be taken from people registered under PMAY, and they too should be considered in lucky draw system,” he said.
NMC had conducted the process and registered 72,000 people in 2016. These people have been waiting for three years to get benefits under PMAY, but have been left out by NMRDA.
NMRDA commissioner Sheetal Teli-Ugale did not respond to TOI’s call and messages
NMRDA has undertaken construction of 4,345 flats at five locations — two at Tarodi (khurd), and one each at Wathoda, Wanjri and Sheshnagar — under PMAY
NMRDA’s process is already shrouded in controversy. NMRDA had started the process to invite applications before completing the schemes. The applications were invited between March 6 and April 7.
Youth Congress activists, including Congress corporator Bunty Shelke, had alleged NMRDA started the process only to confuse people and benefit BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. After the polls, NMRDA had extended the time period for submitting applications to June 6 instead of conducting draw to select the beneficiaries, which confirmed the allegations levelled by Youth Congress activists.