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| The Durgapur house of Sumita Shaw that was allegedly sold off by two Trinamul workers. Picture by Arup Sarkar |
Durgapur, March 4: A domestic help in Durgapur has alleged that two Trinamul workers sold her house, allotted under a central scheme, when she had gone with her family to visit an ailing relative in Uttar Pradesh.
Sumita Shaw, 35, also accused police of refusing to register her complaint if she named Dinesh Karmakar and Moloy Bauri, both known Trinamul activists in Durgapur’s Amravati area.
Trinamul denied its workers were involved, but assured that the single-storey house would be “returned” to Sumita.
The police, too, denied the allegation of refusing to take Sumita’s complaint.
According to the domestic help, who earns Rs 2,000 a month, she, her husband Rajender and two children had gone to Uttar Pradesh in January. When they returned on February 24, they found another family occupying their house, said Sumita, who is now staying with relatives in Durgapur.
“The person occupying our house said he had paid Rs 35,000 to Karmakar and Bauri. I went to the New Township police station a number of times, but I was told that the complaint would be accepted only if I excluded the names of the two Trinamul activists,” Sumita said.
Sumita, whose husband is a labourer, said the house was allotted to her by the Durgapur municipality in 2009 against Rs 5,000.
Today, she lodged a complaint with the sub-divisional officer of Durgapur Ayesha Rani A.
Munna Rajak, a laundry owner who is currently staying in the house with his family, said he had requested Karmakar and Bauri to help him get a house at a cheap rate. “They showed me the house and I paid them Rs 35,000. I was not aware that the house belonged to another family. If I get my money back, I will vacate the house,” Rajak said.
The Durgapur municipality had in 2008 and 2009 constructed around 1,400 houses for homeless persons under the Valmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojana. The houses, 176sqft each, have a bedroom, a kitchen and a toilet.
The houses cannot be sold, nor can the beneficiaries rent them out. The house has to be handed back to civic authorities if the occupant decides to move elsewhere.
Asked about the allegation, Trinamul councillor Dipankar Laha said: “I learnt about the incident last night. The house will be returned to Sumita Shaw. We will inquire how the deal took place. But our party was not involved.”
Sunil Yadav, the additional deputy commissioner of police (east division), said: “I have no information that the woman’s house was sold off by two Trinamul workers. We have no reservation against receiving complaints. I will look into the matter.”
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