Atal Apartments: Applicants of 'demand survey' want inclusion of names in draw of lots by Ludhiana Improvement Trust

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 15

There is a hue and cry over the draw of lots for allotment of HIG and MIG residential flats in the proposed ‘Atal Apartment’ housing scheme to be conducted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) on June 16 at Nehru Sidhant Kendra here.

A few applicants, who had deposited Rs 10,000 as earnest money during a “demand survey” of the scheme carried out in January 2019 and have not taken refund to date, have demanded their inclusion in the draw, and that too with a preferential quota for them as their earnest money had been lying with the LIT for the past more than three years.

A former councillor, Pran Bhatia, has written to the LIT Chairman that he had deposited the earnest money during the demand survey for an MIG flat in his own name and for an HIG flat in the name of his wife Nirmal Bhatia. “We have not taken any refund and the money is still lying with the LIT. But unfortunately, our names do not figure in the final list of applicants for the draw of lots,” he said.

Another city resident and social activist Arvind Sharma has, in a communication to the LIT authorities, said he had submitted two applications in the demand survey but his name was not included in the list drawn for eligible applicants.

Both Bhatia and Sharma said the LIT ought to have shown some consideration to those who had applied in ‘“emand survey” and, at least, intimation of revival of the scheme should have been sent to those who had not obtained refund of their initial deposit.

The LIT Executive Officer, Kuljit Kaur, however, rubbished the claim of those who had deposited Rs 10,000 during the “demand survey” conducted for the scheme. She said after the “demand survey” for the scheme was completed, the housing scheme was altogether scrapped.

“If some applicants have not taken refund of initial deposit of Rs 10,000, they could do so at any time. But by no stretch of imagination could those applicants be considered as bona fide applicants for the draw to be conducted for the revived scheme as applications were called afresh with earnest money equal to 10 per cent cost of the flat,” she asserted.