Mangaluru: Housing Minister V Somanna said that there is a plan to release at least Rs 2.5 lakh for the beneficiaries of different housing schemes and a proposal regarding the same has been sent to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

Speaking to the reporters at Circuit House on Wednesday, January 8, Somanna said, “It is very difficult to construct houses at a cost of only Rs 1.2 lakhs, considering the cost of construction materials. Hence, there is a plan to provide at least Rs 2.5 lakh to the beneficiaries of different housing schemes. As the proposal has already been sent to the Chief Minister, the department is looking for his consent.”

Somanna also suspected that there is an irregularity in the procedure of allotting houses to the beneficiaries under different housing schemes. “As per the statistics, the government has allotted around 14 lakh houses to the beneficiaries under different housing schemes since 2014. However, when I visited several districts, I found that several beneficiaries have got money for constructing cow sheds and other small structures, other than houses. It is a clear example of the misuse of money. Government officials also might have been involved in these illegal activities. Hence, we are planning to initiate a probe in this regard. The government is also planning to launch an app to allot houses to the beneficiaries of housing schemes to prevent irregularities,” he said.

The minister then assured that money would be released immediately for the pending houses of the beneficiaries. “I have noticed that thousands of beneficiaries did not get money from the government, even though they have completed construction. Such beneficiaries should approach the concerned Panchayath Development Officers (PDOs) immediately. If the PDO, Taluk Panchayat executive officers and concerned MLA’s of the region certify the beneficiaries, they will get the money immediately,” he said.

Meanwhile, Somanna informed that the government is planning to allot four lakh houses for beneficiaries under different schemes in the next two years. He also informed that, instead of providing money in four instalments, the government is planning to provide the money in two instalments.