Mangalore, February 28: Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel found the progress of several schemes wanting at the meeting of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee chaired by him here on Monday.
While construction of thousands of houses for the poor planned for the district in 2010-11 have not yet started, a Government Order affected the progress of water supply schemes. Several people had not been getting their monthly pension for around six months now, the meeting was told. The tardy progress of road works came in for criticism at the meeting.
Mangalore taluk has lagged behind in performance in implementing the Indira Awas Yojana. Against the target of providing houses to 539 people in 2011-12, the taluk has cleared only 310 proposals and started construction of only 104 houses. A mere 15 houses have been completed so far with an identical number of houses slated for completion by March end. Over 200 beneficiaries were yet to be identified. Other taluks too lagged far behind targets.
Basava scheme
Under the Basava Vasathi Yojane scheme, around 100 of the 2000 beneficiaries were yet to be identified in Belthangady taluk. Only eight of the 2,000 houses proposed have been completed with 504 houses being at different stages of construction. Construction has not begun in the case of 1,365 houses, an official said. Similar was the situation in other taluks.
Mr. Kateel expressed unhappiness over the poor showing. Many officials, including zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer K.N. Vijay Prakash, said the requirement of opening an account only in State Bank of India for receiving funds from the nodal agency Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation Ltd., had affected the housing schemes adversely. They cited reasons such as non availability of beneficiaries belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities, lack of lands, and inadequate staff as other reasons. Mr. Kateel wanted the officials to show month-wise progress now onwards instead of offering reasons for not implementing the schemes.
Many participants, including the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly N. Yogish Bhat, wanted substantial increase in the subsidy amount given to the poor for housing schemes in view of high input costs. Many beneficiaries felt that they could not construct a house with Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 given as subsidy.
Water Schemes
Mr. Prakash said the recent Government Order making it obligatory to pay Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) a higher amount for electrification had hit drinking water projects. Officials said now they have to deposit four to five times more with Mescom against earlier Rs. 1 lakh.
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