Saraikela: The demand for ownership rights for 216 families in the EWS colony in Adityapur has once again gained momentum. Manmohan Singh, son of the late Adityapur Municipal Corporation Ward 29 councilor Rajmani Devi, met with Chief Minister Hemant Soren and departmental minister Sandeep Kumar Sonu on Thursday and reiterated his demand for rights under a hire purchase agreement.
Singh explained that the Jharkhand State Housing Board allotted 216 EWS houses in Adityapur in 1980. Families have been living there for nearly 45 years, but ownership rights have not yet been granted. In contrast, the Board has granted ownership rights to beneficiaries of S-Type, I-Type, R-Type, Old M-Type, and Janta flats in the same area through Hire Purchase Agreements, a scheme for which EWS families have been waiting.
He explained that the departmental minister had directed the department to take necessary action in this regard years ago, but no concrete initiative has been taken yet. Meanwhile, the department suddenly began a survey in the colony, creating fear and confusion. A report published in local newspapers claimed that beneficiaries had been issued liability notices totaling Rs 5.50 lakh in a week, although no family in the colony had received such notices.
Singh appealed to the Chief Minister that the 216 families in the EWS colony belong to the poor and low-income groups, unable to afford the steep costs of the new redevelopment model. He demanded that, in accordance with previous assurances made by the department, these families be granted ownership rights to their current housing under the Hire Purchase Agreement scheme. He stated that this move would not only be in accordance with the norms but also provide permanent security to over a thousand people who have been living in the same location for 45 years.
Family members and residents expressed hope that the government would make a sensitive decision on this issue. Ichagarh MLA Savita Mahato and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha central member Kablu Mahato were also present in the meeting with the CM.
