A non-government organisation working for slum dwellers has alleged malpractices in allocation of houses to project affected people of Sabarmati Riverfront. Moreover, in an application addressed to the municipal commissioner and commissioner of police, a slum dweller has alleged involvement of six people, including an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) official, in the corrupt practices.
Rahethan Adhikar Manch – Gujarat alleged that employees of AMC worked hand-in-glove with original petitioners, who had approached the Gujarat High Court on the issue of slum dwellers living in the Sabarmati river bed and produced wrong reports before the Justice Buch Committee.
The slum dwellers, who had left the riverbed after riots of 2002, were personally called and allotted housing units despite the fact that they were financially sound, alleged the NGO. It also demanded that allocations to such beneficiaries should be cancelled with immediate effect. Moreover, people living outside the riverfront area have also been allocated housing units by AMC.
Interestingly, the NGO also claimed that some people were allocated houses on fake Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC). It also produced two EPIC belonging to the same person, whose name is different on both EPICs, one produced in 1996 and the other in 2006. “The person who possesses EPIC by the name of Gafurbhai Habibbhai Miyana in 1996 becomes Hanifbhai Yusubbhai Shaikh in 2006 to get a house in the slum relocation project,” said Bina Jadav of Rahethan Adhikar Manch-Gujarat.
One of the project affected people, Mehboob Habib Miyana, has alleged involvement of six people in the corrupt practices.
