Ghost Houses

30,000 JNNURM houses are lying vacant for more than two years as GHMC could not identify the beneficiaries because of political pressure.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is one of the most prestigious programmes of the Central government. This massive city modernisation scheme is designed to improve the quality of life and infrastructure in cities. The project envisages upgrading social and economic infrastructure in cities, provision of Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) in line with the 74th constitutional amendment.

The foregoing sounds quite interesting and one might even jump to the conclusion that the urban poor no longer need to live in slums, as they would be getting pucca houses under the scheme. Sadly, that is not the case when it comes to the implementation of the scheme in the city.

In order to improve the standard of living, the central government sanctioned 49,000 houses and the GHMC added to it another 2,340 houses, taking the total to 51,340 units. Several houses handed over under these schemes have remained unoccupied over the years. Some of the areas where the houses are being constructed include Nizampet, Shamshabad, Bahadurpally and Karkhana.

Under the JNNURM scheme, the central government provides 35% of the funds required for a project; while the civic body has to bear 50% of the funds; the rest (15%) is borne by the state government. Had the authorities stuck to the plan, the 51,340 houses would have given proper shelter to a substantial number of families presently living in slums.

Of the 51,340 houses sanctioned, 3,566 were cancelled for various reasons and only 47,774 were constructed. By 2011, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) completed the construction of 27,625 houses, with the rest being in various stages of construction. As things stand, only 16,769 houses have been allotted to the beneficiaries. The rest are lying vacant and neglected.

If you wonder, ‘Aren’t there any claimants to the novel project?’ then slap yourself. The grandiose scheme was announced in 2006 during a ‘Racchabanda’ programme held by former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. Within months, the GHMC received as many as 2 lakh applications. That’s roughly four applicants per house.

To avail of houses under the JNNURM scheme, the beneficiaries had to pay as beneficiary contribution 30% of the amount spent for constructing the houses. The houses were constructed in a G+3 format, with each house costing nothing less than Rs 2.67 lakh. Most of the beneficiaries are ready to pay the amount. Still, the puzzling question is: What really happened and why were the houses not allotted to all the beneficiaries? This remains one of GHMC’s best kept secrets.

On the basis of the applications received, the GHMC authorities were required to prepare a list of beneficiaries who could avail of the facilities. A partial list was prepared and 16,769 beneficiaries were allotted houses. Finally, of the 47,744 houses constructed, 30,975 were left vacant. Then, for reasons best know to GHMC, it stopped work on preparing the list of other beneficiaries. Sources in GHMC revealed that after the initial list of beneficiaries was prepared the authorities received pressure from some Ministers and MLAs of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts to allot the houses only to those recommended by them.

The authorities, tired of lobbying and sustained pressure, opted for an easy way out: stop completing the list. This has deprived the deserving poor of their benefits; yet, that is not of immediate concern to GHMC, much less to the Ministers and MLAs who want to do some meherbani to their minions.

“We are preparing the list and will allot the houses to the beneficiaries who have applied. There is also a problem with a few beneficiaries who haven’t paid the beneficiary contribution. We are having a word with Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad District Collectors and will sort out the issue soon,” said M T Krishna Babu, Commissioner, GHMC.

In view of this impasse over houses, now there are doubts over whether GHMC would succeed in laying its claim over an additional Rs 800 cr it has sought for various works under the JNNURM transitional phase.