Housing scam unearthed in Ghaziabad: Official

An alleged scam has been unearthed here in the 20 percent mandatory allotment of houses for economically weaker sections (EWS) and low income groups (LIG) in hi-tech townships by private builders, an official said Tuesday.

Providing documentary details to media persons, Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation vice chairman Rajendra Tyagi said the procedure adopted for the draw of 5,000 housing units held in June violated a policy that said the date, venue and time of the draw would be publicised in state and national newspapers.

He said the advertisement was inserted in only 10 copies of a less circulated newspaper for official record.

An inquiry has been ordered into the issue, he said.

He said the builders inserted names of their own choice. Houses reserved for Scheduled Tribes were allotted to Yadavs, Tyagis, Raghavs, Kashyaps and Chauhans.

Over a dozen names of such people were detected in the allotment list of 95 successful candidates, he said.

Tyagi, in a letter to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, demanded thorough investigation into the scam so that the guilty officials who were in collusion with the builders, are punished.

Meanwhile, Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) secretary R.M. Godbole said they have not been informed about the issue raised by Tyagi.

"We shall examine the points as soon as we receive them," he said.