Congress courts colony voters

Exploring a scheme for building houses to be given on rent to migrants, providing LPG connections instead of kerosene and making provision of a slew of facilities near the rehabilitation societies — Congress leaders on Sunday made several announcements to woo voters in the colonies.

Handing over keys of houses made under the rehabilitation scheme by the Chandigarh Housing Board, Union Ministers Kumari Selja and Pawan Kumar Bansal harped on the work done by the Congress for the residents of colonies, apart from asking the administration to explore new schemes. Owing to the rehabilitation schemes, the city has earned the distinction of having maximum rehabilitation houses per capita per person.

With colonies comprising 29 per cent of the voters in the city, the Congress leaders made attempts to woo this section. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the Congress had received 36 per cent votes of the colonies. The BSP was a close second with 34 per cent votes from this section and the BJP had got 20 per cent. In the recent by-elections in ward 7, the BSP polled more votes from the colony than the Congress.

Union Minister of Urban Poverty Alleviation and Culture Kumari Selja asked the officials of the UT Administration to explore the possibility of constructing houses under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna that could be given on rent to the migrants when they came to the city.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal said by the time of handing over the next lot of houses, some measures would be put in place so that people who took possession of houses also got an LPG connection. Schools, dispensaries and, wherever possible, community centres should be provided near the houses under the rehabilitation scheme, he added.

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