The AP government headed by CM Jagan planned an ambitious Navratnas-Housing Scheme for the poor. Now it seems the state government’s most ambitious ‘Navratnas-Housing Scheme for the Poor’ is mired in controversy. The government aims to provide rails to benefit 30 lakh families. To this end, along with government land, various methods such as land acquisition and land consolidation have been followed.
The total cost is set to be up to Rs 20,000 crore. The government machinery was swept away. However the event has already been postponed three times due to various reasons. In fact the first idea was to allocate houses to the poor during Ugadi.After that the government planned to launch it on YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s birthday but it got postponed. Eventually the fifteenth of August date also got postponed. Government sources point to a variety of reasons as to why this is happening. Political reasons add to this.
The state government is getting negative judgments from the courts on many issues. Government decisions are failing on issues such as non-compliance with regulations, violation of fundamental rights and overturning existing laws. The same problem with house pattas.One of these is the allocation of houses to the poor on land that has come under land consolidation in the Amravati region. Another is to take the assigned lands from the beneficiaries and convert them into houses. Similarly, government lands intended for the management of educational institutions have also been converted into pattas. All of these came up for trial in court. The court rejected the government ‘s allocation of space for future use, especially in relation to a fundamental right such as education.
The court is also looking into the issue of allotment of freehold land to farmers on mutual benefit basis for capital construction. All of these can be disruptive. Assigned lands were allotted to the poor a few decades ago for subsistence. They are so precious now. Collecting them under the pretext of the provisions of the law is also a source of litigation. On the whole, the government seems to be confusing all this and tying its own hands.
Authorities say there is no impediment to the government launching the scheme if educational lands, assigned lands and capital lands are set aside. If the court implements the scheme excluding those in dispute, the lands already collected will likely come into use.Among them, the central government has announced huge housing schemes. Places need to be ready to get a major share in it. Only about a quarter of the 16,000 acres appear to be in dispute. It is beneficial to put them aside and start the project step by step.
It should be seen as a record even if 30 lakh people are registered in two years. It is therefore advisable that the scheme be taken in the direction of fulfilling the objective of the Government rather than the whole controversy. Only then will it be possible for the Center to top the annual housing allocations across the country.