Suhail Bhat
Srinagar May 31: Nearly 500 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban scheme in Srinagar district are facing severe frustration and hardship due to a six-month delay in receiving their financial instalments from authorities.
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Several beneficiaries shared their struggles with the Excelsior and said their homes are at various stages of construction, and although some have received a few instalments, they have been waiting for months for further financial assistance.
They said that the delay in financial assistance is severely impacting their ability to complete their homes and improve their living conditions as promised by the scheme. “We have been approved, identified, and verified by the concerned committees. Our list has been pending for the last 5-6 months at the Deputy Commissioner’s office for onward submission to the nodal agency, Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (JKHB), for the release of financial assistance,” one beneficiary said.
The PMAY-U scheme is a Centrally sponsored program aimed at providing financial assistance to the urban poor to help them construct houses and improve their living conditions. Beneficiaries are entitled to nearly Rs. 1.66 lakh in financial aid, distributed in four instalments: Rs. 41,666 each for the plinth and lintel stages, Rs. 60,000 for the roof, and Rs. 33,000 upon completion.
In Srinagar district, 3000 beneficiaries have been approved by the State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Out of these, 700 houses have been completed. However, many approved beneficiaries are still waiting for the release of their instalments. “We were found eligible and were asked to start construction, which we did. Though some of us have received one or two instalments, the remaining funds for stages like the roof or completion have not been released,” said Bilal Ahmad, a frustrated beneficiary.
He added that they have visited the DC office several times. “They assured us for the past 5-6 months that our list is alright and would be forwarded to the nodal agency, but we are still waiting. We have taken loans and bought materials on credit, hoping the financial assistance would be released soon, but there is no response from the district administration,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Zuhra Bashir, expressed her frustration: “We are fed up with this PMAY-U scheme, which was supposed to help the urban poor. Due to official apathy, the poor in Srinagar are suffering while the process runs smoothly in other districts. We do not understand why the officers in Srinagar, especially at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, are delaying this. They could assign the job to another officer, but things are different here.”
Huda Bilal, another disheartened beneficiary, said: “It is their prime duty to look after public dealings, especially since PMAY-U is a time-bound scheme. There are only a few months left to achieve the target, and we are still waiting.”
Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Bilal Mohidin, told Excelsior that the cases are being inquired upon and there was a slight delay in progress due to the elections. “The inquiry is underway, and once it is completed, the cases will be processed. There might have been a delay due to the elections, but once the elections are completely over, we will be able to provide an estimate of the time it will take. The inquiry was ordered by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir,” he said.
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