A housing scheme for the urban poor in Belgaum has turned out to be a scam, as the beneficiaries have alleged that they have been cheated by the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB). The beneficiaries said that they had paid money to the KSDB officials for building houses in the slums, but no work has been done till date.
The KSDB had launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Belgaum in 2018, promising to build 1,200 houses for the slum dwellers. The beneficiaries had to pay Rs 60,000 as their share for the houses, which were supposed to cost Rs 3.5 lakh each. The KSDB officials had collected the money from the beneficiaries and assured them that the work would commence soon.
However, three years have passed and the beneficiaries have not received any confirmation or allotment letter from the KSDB. They have also not witnessed any construction activity in the slums. The beneficiaries complained that they had contacted the KSDB officials repeatedly, but they did not get any proper response. They accused the KSDB officials of embezzling the money and defrauding them.
The beneficiaries have demanded a probe into the matter and action against the KSDB officials. They have also warned of staging a protest if their issues are not resolved. They have appealed to the Chief Minister and the Urban Development Minister to intervene and sort out the problem
