Housing Minister V. Somanna’s statement about sanction of 17,000 houses for Bhalki constituency in Bidar under housing schemes of the State government and allocation of 43% of houses to “bogus beneficiaries” sparked off heated arguments between the Minister and Congress member Eshwar Khandre, who represents the constituency.
In reply to Mr. Khandre’s charge about lack of progress in the Housing Department in the State, during the debate on the Governor’s address in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Somanna said the Congress leader got sanctioned 17,000 houses in one year during the previous Congress government and 43% of the beneficiaries were “fake”.
Six panchayat development officers had been suspended and a probe was ordered to find irregularities in the execution of housing schemes in the constituency, he said. Mr. Somanna said that instead officials of the taluk, Mr. Khadre himself issued sanction orders for construction of houses.
Mr. Khandre countered Mr. Somanna’s charges, and said the Minister was “manufacturing lies” and the government in advance mobilised funds and paid ₹200 crore for developers for construction of houses in Bengaluru. But the Housing Ministry has no money to pay the poor for the construction of houses, Mr. Khandre said.
Irked over Mr. Khadre’s statement, Mr. Somanna stoutly denied the charges. Mr. Somanna said the Siddaramaiah-led government had decided to construct 18 lakh houses in the State with an estimate of ₹35,800 crore. But the Congress government released only ₹10,000 crore and there was shortage of funds over ₹20,000 crore.
The former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took exception to Mr. Somanna’s statement and said more than three lakh houses were built during the Congress regime every year as against just two lakh houses during the last two years of the BJP government.
Mr. Khandre challenged Mr. Somanna to conduct the probe into sanction of houses and said he would quit membership of the House if proved guilty. Tempers cooled down when the Speaker appealed to both the Minister and Mr. Khandre to stop levelling charges against each other.
