SHILLONG, April 25: State BJP vice president, Bernard Marak, has said that the reason why people in Garo Hills suffer during storms is due to the non-implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The PMAY is an initiative by the central government in which affordable housing is to be provided to the urban poor, with a target of building 2 crore (20 million) affordable houses by March 31, 2022.
Marak bemoaned that people in Garo Hills, since yesteryears, have been suffering during cyclonic storms because they, till date, live in kutcha houses with PMAY scheme failing to reach out to the poor.
“Politicians who diverted the fund sanctioned for pucca houses under PMAY are paying Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 to victims of storm in place of 1.3 lakh so as to cover up the scam of pucca houses sanctioned by the BJP-led NDA Government through PMAY”.
He said that women had applied for low-cost houses four years ago through Tura Municipal Board but, till date, no house under PMAY is visible in the town.
Bewailing that this resulted in cyclonic storms damaging the kutcha houses and people rendered homeless at times, Marak said, “The leaders are paying a meagre amount to the victims to cover up the scam under PMAY in Tura town”.
“The interesting part is that after assuring housing facilities under the PMAY to the people of Tura, Tura Municipal Board has now replied in RTI that they are not dealing with PMAY schemes,” he added.
The BJP vice president also alleged that the public was made to pay the holding taxes and clear dues in false assurance of PMAY.
“I will seek details of this scheme. BJP teams will also monitor every scheme sanctioned by the BJP-led NDA Government and ensure that every scheme reaches to the right people cutting through party lines,” Marak added.
