Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 05 June 2025
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has referred to as upon the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to urgently evaluate the progress of the housing building beneath the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) at Prothrapur and Brichgunj. In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, D. Ayyappan, Secretary of the CPI (M) A&N State Organising Committee, demanded that appropriate instructions be issued to the Municipal Council and NBCC to expedite the work and full the challenge inside a specified timeframe.
Highlighting the misery confronted by the beneficiaries, Ayyappan requested the Administration to instruct Canara Bank to halt the restoration of housing mortgage instalments till the flats are formally allotted to the beneficiaries. He emphasised that the beneficiaries, who’re presently dwelling in rented lodging, are unable to afford each hire and mortgage repayments concurrently.
According to the letter, 329 beneficiaries had been initially recognized for allotment of flats beneath PMAY (Urban) at Sri Vijaya Puram, of which 206 had been chosen after scrutiny. Each of them deposited ₹90,000 with the Municipal Council. They had been additionally instructed to use for housing loans from Canara Bank’s Mohanpura department, with the challenge’s building entrusted to the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). Two websites—Brichgunj and Prothrapur—had been earmarked for building.
Canara Bank sanctioned ₹8 lakh as mortgage for every of the 206 beneficiaries, and the primary instalment of ₹2.4 lakh per beneficiary was launched to the Municipal Council round two years in the past. It was initially assured that building can be accomplished and possession handed over by the tip of 2024. The beneficiaries had been additionally instructed that mortgage reimbursement would start solely after possession.
However, Ayyappan alleged that the development has progressed at a snail’s tempo. Only 27 flats have seen partial building at Prothrapur, whereas Brichgunj has solely undergone floor levelling. “There is no possibility of handing over the promised 206 flats within the next two years,” Ayyappan stated.
He additional said that, opposite to earlier assurances, Canara Bank has begun deducting EMIs from the beneficiaries’ financial institution accounts, inflicting immense stress among the many poor households who’re nonetheless with out properties. He criticised the Administration for failing to intervene and referred to as the financial institution’s actions “unjustified.”
Drawing comparisons with different states, Ayyappan identified that some state governments like Kerala are offering free housing to the homeless, whereas within the A&N Islands, poor households are being burdened with loans for incomplete properties. He warned that mortgage defaults attributable to this case might negatively influence beneficiaries’ credit score scores and monetary reputations.
The CPI (M) has demanded instant administrative intervention to halt coercive restoration measures and guarantee well timed completion and allotment of flats beneath the central housing scheme.
