The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), on Friday, condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for its proposal to allow private builders to buy back chunks of land reserved for housing for economically weaker sections (EWS) calling it a fraud on the underprivileged sections.
In a statement, senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, while demanded a high-level probe into the proposal that smacked of corruption and kickbacks, said the AAP government had made it clear that it was into the business of raising funds for the party’s profligacy and was least concerned about the welfare of the poor.
He appealed to the state cabinet not to approve the proposal as it would allow the AAP government to strike a death blow on the aspirations of the weaker sections to own houses under the EWS scheme. “This proposal to auction land reserved for building houses for the EWS in private projects is a clear message to the ‘Aam Admi’ that they should stop dream of owning a small shelter near high-end flats”.
Asserting that the proposal won’t pass legal scrutiny, the SAD leader said, “Private builders were given additional benefits to offset the losses caused to them for building housing under the EWS scheme in their residential colonies. The government also derived political capital by publicizing the scheme.”
“Now, when the residential areas have been developed and sold at huge profits, a plan is afoot to sell this land back to the private developers and throw the weaker sections out of the scheme and force them to accept alternative accommodation in far off undeveloped areas.”
Asserting that the SAD will oppose this scheme tooth and nail, Dr Cheema said instead of approving this proposal, the state cabinet should institute an inquiry to probe on what basis this nefarious scheme had been proposed to rob the poor of the right to housing under the EWS scheme. He said all those behind this anti-poor proposal should be exposed and punished appropriately.