The Hindu                 23.07.2012

Concern over new housing plan guidelines

The district panchayat has expressed concerns over the delay in completion of several housing schemes in the district in the backdrop of the latest 12th five-year plan guidelines issued by the State.

The guidelines, the district panchayat says, do not have any clear mention of funding new housing schemes. The local body will not be able to earmark any special fund for new projects till a change is made in the guidelines.

District panchayat president K. Jameela says the new guidelines issued to the panchayat have totally altered the concept of local development. This will certainly have an impact on poor income group. “Those who are halfway through the construction of their houses will have to suffer, as panchayats will not be able to grant them any fund,” she adds.

As per the standing instructions, the panchayats will have to finalise the development projects for the current financial year before July 31 with the support of working groups.

Since the guidelines have hardly any mention of such a major area, which has been in focus for the last several decades, the panchayat is currently in a fix to find other alternatives. “During the tenure of the last government, there was the EMS Housing scheme. The issue could be settled if the government was committed to introduce a similar scheme,” says Ms. Jameela. According to her, the local panchayats in Kozhikode have been continuing the custom of investing a huge sum of money to support rural housing schemes for the last several years.

The guidelines, which have mentioned in detail about the new powers and privileges of the government officials in approving or disapproving a project, too have irked the heads of various three-tier panchayats. As per the guidelines, the District Planning Committee (DPC), which is primarily a body of people’s representatives, has lost its significance. This is because more powers have been given to government officials in the Local Self Government Department.

“The grama panchayats have also expressed their reservations on another direction in the guideline, which does not allow tendering process of works below Rs.15 lakh,” Ms. Jameela says. She claims that it will open the doors for acute corruption and create a total mayhem in the existing selection process of eligible contractors for works.