Angul: Most of the houses under the government’s flagship housing programme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, are yet to see the light of day. Barring only eight pucca houses, no other house against the 195 work orders given to beneficiaries under Angul Municipal limits during FY 2019-20 has been completed.
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The municipal staff,it has been learnt, have been running to the beneficiaries regularly to persuade them to expedite construction work but to no avail. The beneficiaries are hesitant on taking up house construction work the amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
As per the 2011 census, there are over 44,000 residents under Angul municipal limits. The civic body has been providing pucca houses under Awas yojana to financially backward families who have been identified for the purpose under its limits.
Notably, 75% of the estimated cost of a pucca houses under Awas yojana is provided as subsidy money to the beneficiaries by central government and remaining 25% is bore by the state government.
There is also a provision of an incentive of Rs 20,000 for a house completed within four months and Rs 10,000 for a house completed within six months of issue of work order.
Nearly, 433 work orders have been issued by the municipal authorities to different beneficiaries over past four years, of which only 229 houses have been completed so far, official sources informed.
On being contacted, Angul Municipality executive officer Binod Chandra Panda said, “We have already issued notices to the defaulter beneficiaries and warned that work orders of those who have not yet started house construction will be cancelled”.
PNN