GUWAHATI, Oct 29 - The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana � Urban, the flagship mission of the Government of India for meeting the housing demand of the urban poor by 2022 has developed cold feet in the State, with the authorities responsible for project implementation remaining unmoved despite repeated reminders from the Centre questioning the sluggish progress.
In Assam, the urban development department (UDD) is the nodal agency along with the State Mission Directorate PMAY-Urban.
According to sources � something corroborated by official documents � the implementing authorities have not taken a single step to expedite work progress and not even any reply has been sent from either the UDD or the Mission Directorate to the Government of India explaining the tardy progress.
Sources said that in PMAY-Urban no fund had been received in the current financial year and no progress made. �The Centre had asked for utilisation certificates (UCs) of the funds released in the previous year from the Principal Secretary UDD and the Mission Directorate several times, but they failed to submit the UCs resulting in withholding of fund by the Centre till date. This has resulted in deprivation of salary, dues and other expenses from April 2018 onwards,� sources added.
The National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) reveals a similar picture, with no visible work progress in the State since April 2018 as evidenced by the dismal state of urban shelter, lack of payment to self help groups (SHGs) and skill development in urban poor. Even after an advertisement was published last year, no vacancy has been filled up for community organisers and CPMs till date.
�In PMAY � Urban, only one official is present in each district and performing duties of four designated approved positions � municipal finance, municipal engineer, MIS and social development coordinator � currently lying vacant. In Hailakandi, Baksa, Biswanath and Sonitpur, there is no employee of PMAY-Urban. This is really hitting hard with reporting, monitoring, construction status and time-bound progress of the construction work,� sources said, adding that the appointment process had not started even after getting approval from the State Chief Secretary in May 2018.
The regular work of the State Mission Office is managed by only two officials, whereas ten posts are sanctioned and approved by the Chief Secretary who is also the chairman of the State level sanctioning & monitoring committee. Still no recruitment process has been initiated against the vacant posts neither in State level nor at district level.
