Beneficiaries of Banglar Bari, the housing scheme for the poor who do not have a pucca house, cannot sell the structures, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said on Saturday.
Hakim said he came to know that some beneficiaries were enquiring whether the houses built under the scheme could be sold.
The buyers, too, must realise they will never become owners of these properties and the government can evict them if it is found that the beneficiary had sold the property to a second person, Hakim said.
The scheme — housing for all — was launched in 2015. The website of the state urban development department said the cost of one dwelling unit under the scheme was Rs 3.68 lakh (Rs 4.41 Lakh for Hilly Areas).
“Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Govt. of India is providing Rs.1.5 lakh... Government of West Bengal is providing Rs.1.93 lakhs as State Share to the ULBs having less than 5 Lakh Population, Rs. 1.83 lakh to the ULBs (urban local bodies) having more than 5 Lakh Population and Rs.2.66 lakh for the ULBs in Hilly Areas,” the website says.
To be eligible for the scheme, the beneficiaries must belong to economically weaker sections, they must not own a “pucca” house anywhere in India and they must have ownership of the land where construction is proposed.
“I want to tell everyone who built a house under the Banglar Bari scheme that no one will be able to sell the property. The buyers should know this. The government can evict those found staying despite not being beneficiaries,” Hakim said. “Buying and selling of houses built under the scheme is a criminal offence.”
