EWS Beneficiaries Gherao OSHB Bhubaneswar Office After Govt Fails To Allot Houses

Beneficiaries under the Odisha Housing Board’s (OSHB) EWS (Economically Weaker Section) housing scheme gheraoed the Board office in Bhubaneswar after they were allegedly refused allotment of the houses.

As per reports, 127 EWS beneficiaries who had reportedly enrolled for the government scheme advertised in 2015 to provide them affordable houses at Dumuduma Phase-7 in the Smart City, were displeased over the Housing Board’s refusal to provide them houses and its offer to return the deposited money with interest. They had reportedly deposited Rs 4 lakh each since last four years.

The protesters alleged that the Housing Board had promised them to deliver the homes by 2019, which was never given. “Other beneficiaries of HIG, MIG and LIG houses have already received possession of their homes. However, we, belonging to economically weaker section, have been harassed by the Board,” said Simanchal Panda, an eligible applicant protesting at the OSHB office.

Similarly, another agitator, Ansara Pattnaik said, “The Housing Board has been making excuses since the last three years. And now, they finally refused to give us the houses, which is frustrating. Our long wait over these years met with a disastrous end.”

Though no comments could be received from the Housing Board officials in this connection, sources said that the homes could not be built because the government failed to vacate the slum dwellers at the proposed sites.

127 beneficiaries had deposited Rs 4 Lakh each with the OSHB for affordable homes making it a total of Rs 5.08 crore.