The Times of India   08.10.2010

EWS houses constructed by Ansals unlivable, says LDA

LUCKNOW: In a significant development, construction giant Ansals Housing and Constructions Limited, has been ticked off by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) for using poor quality materials in construction of economically weaker sections (EWS) houses in its Kanpur Road scheme. The authority, while declaring the houses unfit for livable purpose, has asked the company as to why it should not be blacklisted.

The terse observation comes days after LDA resorted to third party inspection of housing units following complaints from the sitting BJP MLA Suresh Tewari that the quality of materials used in construction of over 1,200 EWS houses in Sector M-1 of the colony has been compromised. A Delhi-based company, KNY Projects, was therefore roped in to get the test done. The test confirmed the fears of Tewari and embarrassed LDA which, ostensibly, had outsourced the job of constructing a housing colony in Kanpur road to the company.

A notice signed by LDA's additional secretary Sanjiv Sinha, and served on Ansals Housing and Constructions Limited on August 28, said that an explanation had been sought from the company earlier also, while asking it to stop using poor quality materials. "Why your company should not be blacklisted?'' the notice served sent the managing director of AHCL said. LDA also maintained that despite previous notices no improvement was brought in by the company. Moreover, the sites were still flooded with such materials, even as construction went on full pace.

The LDA asked that the company to immediately stop all construction work and destroy the materials and report to authority within three days. However, one Pramod Sharma, who had sought information from the LDA under the Right to Information Act about the poor qualtiy of EWS houses, claimed that the company had not stopped the construction as yet, even as the authority chose to look the other way. "For obvious reasons,'' he said, claiming of a strong nexus between the company and the authority officials.

When contacted by TOI on Thursday, AHCL chairman Deepak Ansal said that there was nothing wrong with the materials and they have been conforming with the requirement. "It's the handiwork of some contractors who are trying to malign the image of company,'' Deepak said. AHCL chairman alleged that these contractors, who could not get a work contract from the company, often colluded with the LDA officials and got such kinds of notices served on the company which was highly objectionable. He said that the company was already contesting a case against the LDA in the high court which was still pending.

Earlier, the LDA had put the company under a scanner for violating the layout plan of the housing colony as well as encroaching upon the land which otherwise had a land use as a graveyard or a water body. LDA officials said that there had been complaints from residents only saying that the facilities which were promised never came into existence. Even as the builder contested the allegations, LDA suspended free hold of properties putting at stake future of some 200 other allottees. The fresh controversy has taken over 1,200 allottee in its ambit.