Housing scheme allottees visit ‘CM Window’, give memo
Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, July 25
Allottees of three housing schemes — Indra Puram Master Gurbanta Singh Enclave, Bibi Bhani Complex and Surya Enclave Extension — today gathered outside the ‘CM Window’, set up at the District Administrative Complex to resolve public grievances, and handed over a memorandum for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, demanding the release of their dues, totalling Rs 42 crore.
Yet to get possession
The Jalandhar Improvement Trust collected lakhs of rupees from us for housing schemes launched in 2008 and 2010 during the Akali and Congress regimes but failed to undertake any development work. We still have not received the possession of flats and plots we had purchased. — Darshan Ahuja, an allotte
The allottees expressed resentment over the persistent failure of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to adhere to directives of the district, state and national consumer commissions regarding the refund of their money. The cumulative sum of Rs 42 crore includes the principal amount, interest and compensation as ordered by the consumer commissions after the Trust lost cases against the allottees.
“We’ve been seeking justice for over 10 years,” said Darshan Ahuja, an allottee from Bibi Bhani Complex. “The JIT collected lakhs of rupees from us for housing schemes launched in 2008 and 2010 during the Akali and Congress regimes but failed to undertake any development work. We still have not received the possession of flats and plots we purchased,” he added.
Ahuja explained how the dues, which amounted to Rs 14 crore in last July, had swelled to Rs 42 crore due to the JIT’s non-compliance with consumer commission orders. The allottees described the current state of these housing schemes as dire, plagued by illegal encroachments by migrants and anti-social elements.
Manohar Lal Sehgal, another allottee and senior citizen, lamented the arduous and repetitive visits to the JIT office and courts in pursuit of his hard-earned investment. “Over a decade has passed, but neither the previous governments, nor the present one has shown any willingness to deliver justice,” Sehgal said, adding that they demanded that the JIT must clear our dues and compensate all allottees.
“Many senior citizens have already lost their lives, struggling to get justice and many of us are now over 70. We hope to get justice before it’s too late,” he added.
“The AAP government has shown no interest in investigating this scam,” they said.
