Almost 40 per cent of the applicants for Manyawar Shree Kanshiramji Shahri Gareeb Awasiya Yojna — under which free houses are to be given to the urban poor — are ineligible. They had either given false income certificates, or were found to be well-off.

The Lucknow district administration officials, who have recently found this out, said all such applications will be cancelled.

Altogether, 1.1 lakh houses are coming up in 71 districts under the scheme, which was announced by Chief Minister Mayawati last year.

Applications were invited from people belonging to Below Poverty Line till February and the Lucknow district administration had received over 3,400 applications. The verification process had started in May. “During verification, it was found that almost 20 per cent (over 680) applicants who have BPL cards, do not meet the BPL category norms,” said

OP Pathak, Additional District Magistrate and Project Director, District Urban Development Authority (DUDA). “During visits to their contact address, it was found that some of them own homes. Others have their own vehicles.”

Officials of the district administration and the DUDA are jointly verifying the applications. Pathak said over 700 other applications will also be declared null and void as the income certificates given were found to be fake.

Pathak said the verification process will be over soon and the applications will be cancelled after they receive the complete verification report.

If these 1,380 applications are cancelled, 2000 will remain eligible for the 1,500 houses that the Lucknow Development Authority is developing at Devpur Para under the scheme.