Chaura (Patiala), July 25
Houses, guns, government service, cars, tractors and even an odd truck have not deterred people from getting plots in the name of the homeless in this village on the outskirts of the city. This is not all. People who are not residents of the village have also been able to manage plots measuring 100 square yards each.

Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister Kirpal Singh Badungar laid the foundation stone with regard to grant of 164 plots to the weaker sections at a special ceremony conducted in the village on July 15. Speaking on the occasion, he said the recipients would also be given financial assistance of Rs 50,000 for construction of houses on the plots which they would not have to pay back

However, needy Dalits and people belonging to the backward classes did not benefit from the distribution of the plots. According to investigations by The Tribune, it was revealed there were many discrepancies in the list of the “homeless” who managed to get plots in the village.

A visit to the village revealed that many of the beneficiaries already had homes of their own with a few even having double-storeyed houses. A study of the list revealed that nearly 50 persons had pucca houses of their own. This is not all. Some of the residents who have been allotted plots enjoy amenities which would ordinarily give them a superior status in the village. This includes possession of cars and tractors. One beneficiary even has a truck.

Besides this around nine beneficiaries are government servants who are employed in the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), the Public Works Department (PWD), the government hospital and the Army. At least 20 to 25 persons who have also benefited under the scheme are not registered as voters in the village and are alleged to be outsiders who have wrongly taken advantage of the scheme.

Some villagers who have been protesting against the manner in which the beneficiaries under the scheme were identified allege that some of the beneficiaries include those who had allotted shamlat land earlier by the village but sold the same afterwards. Ravinder Singh Arora and few other panches of the village allege that while it was earlier decided to allot only a few plots to the homeless by the village panchayat through a resolution in 1999 an extended list of 213 persons was made later.

The panches said they had protested against the move to the district administration and an inquiry was conducted by then Additional Deputy Commissioner Gagandeep Singh and the list of 213 was pruned to 178. They said following this 164 persons were allotted plots on July 15 despite their objections that a large number of beneficiaries were not eligible for the same.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir when contacted said he was seized of the matter and had ordered that possession letters to the recipients should be withheld. He said he was taking this step as a perusal of the voters’ list revealed prima facie that some of the beneficiaries were not registered as voters of the village. He said besides this there were other allegations regarding the allotment of the plots due to which he had directed the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) to visit the spot and conduct a scrutiny of all plot recipients.