PMAY-U lacks zeal in Assam

GUWAHATI, April 23: The Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) in Assam seems to be more lethargic than missionary. Only 170 urban houses have been completed in the State till March 2018 since its inception in June 2015.

The PMAY-U was launched on June 25, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the goal of building two crore houses for the urban poor. The vision of the scheme under the Union Ministry of Housing is ‘housing for all by 2022’. However, the ground reality of implementation of the scheme in Assam is far from being satisfactory.

As many as 163 projects under PMAY-U have been taken up in 95 cities of Assam since the inception of the project. The 163 projects taken up involve a central assistance amounting to Rs 1040.83crore, of which Rs 160.98 crore has already been released. Only 18,900 of the 69,352 houses sanctioned under the project have been ‘grounded’, but only 170 houses are complete till March 2018. These 170 houses are in 33 cities of the State where in 62 cities not a single house under the project has been completed. The highest number of 56 houses has been completed in Guwahati, followed by 25 in Jorhat. In the rest of the 31 cities, the numbers of houses completed are single-digit figures.   

The cities where not even a single house has been completed under the projects are – Amguri, Badarpur, Barpathar, Bihpuria, Bijni, Biswanath Chariali, Bokakhat, Bokajan, Chapar, Demow,  Dhekiajuli, Dhemaji, Dhing, Didboi, Diphu, Boboka, Dokmoka, Dongkamokam,  Doom Dooma, Gauripur, Goalpara, Gohpur, Gossaigaon, Haflong, Hailakandi, Hamren, Hojai, Howraghat, Kajalgaon, Kampur, Karimganj, Kharupetia, Lakhipur (TC), Lala, Lanka, Lumding, Mahur, Maibong, Makum, Margherita, Morigaon, Nalbari, Namrup, Narayanpur, Nazira, No. 2 Goreswar, Palasbari, Patacharkuchi, Rangapara, Rangiya, Sapatgram, Sorbhog, Sarthebari, Sarupathar, Silapathar, Simoluguri, Sonai, Sonari, Tangla, Udalguri and Umrangso.

The PMAY-Urban mission is to assist the State/UT governments through their implementing agencies in providing pucca houses to all eligible urban families/beneficiaries by 2022. The mission provides financial assistance to address the housing requirements of urban poor including the slum dwellers through the four verticals – In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR); Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS); Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP); and Beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement (BLC). 

Under the PMAY-U, selection/identification of beneficiaries comes within the purview of State/UT governments. 

Officials working in the mission, however, refuse to admit that the project work has been slow in the State. To defend the fewer number of houses completed under the project in the State, they say that there was delay in the start of the project that has taken time while appointing people. With the completion of appointment, the project work is set to go smoothly now. “We’ve our target schedule till 2022. We hope to meet the target,” one of the officials said.