CM seeks report on PCMC housing project for poor

He has also asked the PCMC to look into the matter of PCMC paying Rs 55 lakh for application forms for the flats.

The CM’s announcement came when the issue was being discussed in the Assembly on Monday.

Following the CM’s directive,the PCMC commissioner has instituted a committee to inquire into the cost of 1.5 lakh application forms,for which the PCMC is believed to have paid Rs 55 lakh. The issue came to the fore after the Shiv Sena received information from the PCMC through an RTI.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Shrikar Pardeshi said the CM had sought a report in connection with the cost of flats being constructed in different parts of the city. The cost had been generating a lot of heat in Pimpri-Chinchwad for the past two years. The PCMC,which has planned over 13,000 flats had offered each for Rs 1.5 lakh to residents with a monthly income of less than Rs 5,000 a month. Subsequently,the PCMC raised the cost to Rs 3.76 lakh,leading to protests,and the NCP that has been ruling the PCMC drew flak from citizens. The PCMC had cited rising input costs for the increase in prices of flats.

Civic officials said the chief minister has also sought to know why the flats were being promised when PCMC was struggling to find land to construct them. The civic chief confirmed that his administration would soon submit a detailed report to the CM.

The issue of printing of forms for housing projects had also sparked a controversy. The PCMC had apparently printed 1.5 lakh forms and paid Rs 55 lakh to a company,which in this case was not actually a printing firm. Dr Pardeshi said the committee appointed by him will look into whether it was really necessary to pay such a huge amount for application forms. Shiv Sena leaders alleged that they sensed corruption in this and hence had raised the issue with the state government.