Telugu Desam?wants probe into allocation of houses

Rajahmundry: Alleging irregularities in the allocation of houses to the ineligible persons, Telugu Desam demanded a probe and vowed to lodge a complaint with the CBI and Vigilance and Enforcement authorities.

Telugu Desam activists led by state general secretary Gorantla Buchaiah Choudhary and scores of people staged 'Mahadharna' at the RDO's office here on Tuesday.

Addressing the agitators, the TD senior leader alleged that the officials resorted to irregularities in the allocating of houses under Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme.

He said that genuine persons were set aside while housing units were allocated to the rich and government employees and demanded that the bogus persons be eliminated from the list of beneficiaries.

He said that houses should be allotted only to the genuine poor who paid the required amount. He threw a challenge for open debate on allocation of houses at Subramanyam grounds.

As the housing authorities tentatively planned to allocate houses through a draw of lot to the beneficiaries on January 12, Choudhary threatened to disrupt it again as he did in the past, unless the genuine beneficiaries were given houses.

Being critical against the Congress government for making tall claims on construction of a large number of houses in the city during its regime, the TD leader said, "Not more than 4,000 houses were constructed in the city. I am ready to prove it and in case I am found wrong, I am ready to get my ears chopped."

He also alleged that the Congress leaders were collecting Rs 2 lakh for giving dealership of a ration shop and Rs one lakh for the post of anganwadi worker. Telugu Desam state organising secretary Ganni Krishna felt the need to ensure transparency in allocation of housing units and vowed to continue to fight until justice was done to the beneficiaries.