“The lackadaisical approach shown by the authorities in identifying the Ferozpora underprivileged family for housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme needs to be thoroughly investigated”.
The death of two minor siblings in a devastating fire inside a tin hut in the Ferozpora village of Gulmarg constituency in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district speaks volumes about the negligence authorities have shown in identifying the deserving family for housing assistance under decades old Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) scheme later renamed Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) in 2016. The local authorities have already said that causes of the huge blaze which rendered the houseless Ferozpora family shelterless besides claiming lives of two minor siblings are being investigated but a parallel investigation into the lapses that left the devastated Ferozpora family unidentified for housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) also needs to be probed. While the incumbent Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to take the basic facilities to the last man in the queue in the post August 2019 developmental scenario in Jammu & Kashmir, the lackadaisical approach shown by the authorities in identifying the Ferozpora underprivileged family for housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme needs to be thoroughly investigated so that authorities responsible for keeping the Ferozpora family devastated by a huge fire unidentified for housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme are indicted and punished for dereliction of duty. The local MLA’s demand for relief to the devastated Ferozpora family from the Chief Minister’s relief fund won’t alone bring respite to the Ferozpora fire victims but a major relief from other sources could also reduce the pain and sufferings of the devastated family. Keeping in view the pathetic position of the devastated family the local MLA should also appeal philanthropists for relief to help the devastated family recover from the intolerable pain and sufferings in the harshest mid winter period “Chilla-i- Kalan”.
“The fire tragedy in Ferozpora Tangmarg has brought to light the lapses in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme in one area of Baramulla district but such lapses depriving hundreds of other underprivileged families in other districts of Kashmir Valley and Jammu division may devastate many more families in future, So an investigation simultaneously into both the Ferozpora firing incident and as well as the lapses of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme can not only end the occurrence and re-occurrence of Ferozpora likely fire tragedies but will also end exploitation of underprivileged families in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme.”
This is a tragedy that should not have been allowed to happen but has happened due to negligence of the authorities in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) schemeand a stern punishment to authorities responsible for leaving the devastated family unidentified for housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme. The fire tragedy in Ferozpora Tangmarg has brought to light the lapses in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme in one area of Baramulla district but such lapses depriving hundreds of other underprivileged families in other districts of Kashmir Valley and Jammu division may devastate many more families in future, So an investigation simultaneously into both the Ferozpora firing incident and as well as the lapses of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme can not only end the occurrence and re-occurrence of Ferozpora likely fire tragedies but will also end exploitation of underprivileged families in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme.
