File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Re-launched after a gap of ten years, the ambitious affordable housing scheme of the Gujarat government, a pet project of the then chief minister Narendra Modi has run into rough weather. With serious irregularities cropping up in the computerized draw of lots conducted for the first phase the state government has cancelled the list finalized from the draw of lots.
The current chief minister Anandbiden Patel had inaugurated the draw of lots event for 2500 houses in the first phase for middle and lower income groups. But once the list was released, applicants alleged that the draw was rigged. "In Ahmedabad allotment for 859 houses was done and all the allotments were done for online applicants. For people who had gone all the way to banks and physically submitted their forms, no allotment has been done," alleged an applicant Pratik.
Some pointed out that no allotment was done even under mandatory quotas like defence. "There has been corruption in the draw process. Even those who had filled the forms under the defence personnel quota haven't been allotted and only online applicants got the benefit. It is clearly a manipulated draw. We now demand a redraw of the lots," demanded another applicant Shailesh Bhatt.
For the housing scheme, residents were invited to submit application physically but later the Gujarat housing board added the option of online applications. While 77 per cent of the applicants submitted their forms physically, the rest were submitted online.
Gujarat Congress is alleging corrupt practices in the scheme. "Even in the 1200 crore contract for the entire scheme there has been corruption and massive irregularities in the drawing of lots. We demand an inquiry by the sitting judge of the Gujarat high court,'' said Gujarat Congress chief, Arjun Modhvadiya. The state government has denied corruption but admitted there may have been 'procedural lapses' and has cancelled the list.