Rs 300 crore, 4,000 homes: Jaipur's housing project for poor turns into crime hub
A Rs 300 crore housing project built for Jaipur's urban poor has been left abandoned for over a decade due to political changes, poor infrastructure and alleged construction flaws, with nearly 3,000 of its 4,000 homes now lying vacant.
A housing project built for the urban poor in Jaipur has turned into a cluster of abandoned buildings now occupied by illegal settlers, drug users and criminals, highlighting years of political blame, alleged corruption and administrative neglect.
Spread across nearly 100 bighas in the Kishanbagh area of Jaipur, Rajiv Nagar was developed between 2008 and 2013 during the government led by former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Around Rs 300 crore was spent to construct nearly 4,000 houses at three locations under the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar Yojana for people living in slums.
PROJECT STALLED AFTER CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT
In 2013, a lottery was conducted to allot the houses. However, before the allotment process could be completed, the Gehlot government lost power. According to the account provided, the succeeding BJP government shelved the project. Basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water supply was not completed, leaving the housing complex uninhabitable.
The report states that thieves stripped the vacant buildings, removing doors, windows and even iron reinforcement bars. The housing scheme was partly funded by the Centre, which contributed 30 per cent of the project cost. After the change in the Union government in 2014, the scheme was discontinued.
POOR CONSTRUCTION LEFT HOUSES UNFIT FOR RESIDENTS
According to the information provided, most of the houses had been allotted to members of the Muslim community. When the Gehlot government returned to power in 2018, many of the buildings had already deteriorated. The report alleges that poor-quality construction caused several structures to begin crumbling, prompting beneficiaries to refuse possession of the houses, which were to be allotted at a cost of around Rs 2.25 lakh each.
REFUGE FOR ILLEGAL SETTLERS
Some families from Gujarat, who earn a living by exchanging utensils for old clothes, are currently living in the abandoned houses without authorisation. They claim a local MLA had told them they could stay there. The families say there is no electricity or water supply, forcing them to defecate in the open. They also allege that drug users, including people consuming opium and other narcotics, gather in the area throughout the day, creating fear among those living there. Despite the conditions, they continue to stay because they do not have to pay rent.
CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND PAK TERROR LINK
The abandoned complex has also allegedly been used by criminals. According to the information provided, Pakistani terrorist Kharghosh stayed in these houses in the Jaisinghpura Khor area for a period and obtained documents while living there.
The BJP government has since removed people it described as illegal Muslim encroachers from the site. Local BJP MLA Balmukundacharya denied asking anyone to occupy the houses and alleged that the scheme had been designed by the previous Congress government to appease a particular community.
Congress MLA Rafiq Khan, however, accused the BJP of deliberately allowing the housing project for the poor to fail after coming to power.
GOVT WEIGHS COSTLY RESTORATION
According to the information provided, around 4,000 houses were built under the scheme in Jaipur, of which nearly 3,000 now remain vacant and have turned into ruins. The government has decided not to revive the original project because demolishing the damaged buildings and repairing or rebuilding them would require several hundred crore rupees in fresh expenditure.
Urban Development Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra said restoring the houses would require a substantial amount of money and that efforts are being made to arrange the necessary funds.
The state government has also decided to open a local police outpost at the site to ensure criminals do not continue using the abandoned buildings as a hideout.
The condition of Rajiv Nagar has raised questions over the fate of a project that was launched to provide housing for the poor, while thousands of intended beneficiaries continue to live in slums despite hundreds of crores of public money and valuable government land having been invested in the scheme.