UP govt. to appoint three politicans in UP housing board

Lucknow, July 3 (UNI) Amidst strong objections from opposition members, the state assembly today adopted the 'UP Housing and Development Board (amendment) Bill 2007', which seeks to designate the principal secretary as the ex-officio chairman of the housing board and three non official members as vice chairpersons of the board.

Opposing the Amendment Bill in the state assembly, BJP member Hukum Singh said there was no rationale of the Amendment bill as it seeks to add to the financial burden on the housing board. He said earlier there was only one political person appointed as the chairman of the board butnow the government intends to appoint three persons as vice chairman that too under an IAS officer.

Questioning the justification of the Amendment Bill, he said as a practise, with the change of the government only the persons heading the board were replaced but the BSP government is changing the fundamental character of the management of the housing board.

Earlier, MLA's of the ruling party who could not be inducted in the cabinet due to constitutional cap on the size of the ministry was given the post, but now no MLA would like to serve as vice chairman under an IAS officer.

The BJP member said the government along with the Amendment Bill should also table all the facts in the house about the additional expenditure to be incurred by the UP housing and development, with the appointment of three vice chairmans. Besides this the government should also apprise the house about its financial health and the total turnover in last three years and number of housing units added in that period.

Moreover, the BJP member said the very existence of the housing board was under question as development authorities have already been constituted in all the major towns of the state and the authorities were doing the same job as performed by the housing board. He said the housing board was doing nothing but acquiring the land of the farmers at throwaway prices and selling it at exorbitant price.

The minister for housing, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, ignored the demand for tabling the report on the financial health of the housing board, saying government has introduced the Bill in public interest.

Later the house adopted the Bill by majority.

UNI