Gadwal: The allocation of double bed room houses to the poor in Gadwal has sparked a major controversy, with disputes over eligibility criteria and removal of beneficiaries from the final list. The issue, which has been pending for nearly two years, has drawn criticism from affected families and opposition leaders, who allege unfair treatment in the selection process.

The recent removal of 84 names from the list of 771 beneficiaries selected through a lucky dip has fueled dissatisfaction among the applicants. Authorities found that 72 of the disqualified individuals had already received houses under the Indiramma housing scheme, while others were removed due to discrepancies in their Aadhaar addresses or multiple applications from the same family. However, the affected beneficiaries question why these issues were not raised earlier, as their applications had already been verified twice before the final list was prepared.

“We have been living in rented houses for years, and now our names have been removed unfairly. Even the government’s latest Indiramma housing scheme does not include us,” said one of the victims, expressing frustration over the decision.

The issue dates back to the construction of 1,275 double bedroom houses near Chaudarpally Dargah in Gadwal during the previous BRS government. Applications were invited in 2023, receiving an overwhelming 4,800 submissions in the first phase. After an extensive verification process, a final list was prepared, and 771 beneficiaries were selected through a lucky dip on April 15, 2023, in the presence of police. The remaining 504 houses were set aside for those who had lost their plots.

It may be mentioned here that the controversy surrounding these houses goes beyond their distribution. The land on which these houses were built was originally allocated to poor families by former Congress MLA DK Aruna in 2012. When the BRS government later took up the construction of double bedroom houses on the same land, it faced strong opposition from the original landowners. Protests erupted as nearly 600 individuals lost their plots due to the new housing project.

“If we apply for a double bedroom house, we are disqualified because we once applied for Indiramma houses, but we never received one. How is that fair?” asked T Lavanya from Telugupet.