The last time state government allotted land at nominal price to bureaucrats was in 2003, that too after a gap of nearly a decade-and-a-half.
The last time state government allotted land at nominal price to bureaucrats was in 2003, that too after a gap of nearly a decade-and-a-half.
Despite reports of rampant misuse of the scheme, a number of officials feel that it was a good gesture on the part of the state government. The new entrants in Sachivalaya are rather eagerly waiting for another round of allotment, while those who have built houses on the given land feel blessed to have roof over their heads.
“It would not have been possible for me to buy land in Gandhinagar and build a house, had I not got land under the scheme. Even though I am still paying EMIs on loans taken for building the house, I have at least a home to call mine, post-retirement,” said secretary, ARTD, Gujarat government, BB Swain.
And he is apparently right as a number of other IAS officers vouch that it is difficult for an honest officer to own a house even by the time of his superannuation. A number of senior bureaucrats, retired as well as serving, own houses built on the land given by the government. For example, Ravi Saxena and Bhagyesh Jha own houses in different sectors of the state capital. They got plots of land during the allotments made between 1988 and 1990, along with dozens of other IAS officers.
Gujarat, however, is not the only state to have implemented such a scheme to keep senior members of its administrative work-force happy. Punjab, Haryana and a number of states in south India have given away land to their officials, an official pointed out.
However, it’s now young officers like T Natarajan, PK Solanki and Rajiv Topno, who are looking up to the government for land. There are certain conditions to be fulfilled before an official can start dreaming of his dream house.
The scheme primarily covers those who are stationed in Sachivalaya or at least in Gandhinagar and are in a transferable position. In addition, the official should have completed five years in service.
Once a piece of land is allotted, construction should take place within three years or else the land would revert to the government.
An official, however, added that the state government now hardly had land to give as its land bank was reducing fast, given the industrial growth in and around Gandhinagar.
“There are a number of projects lined up for land and the government is already finding it difficult to meet the demand. The government also faces hitch in allotting land given the rampant misuse of the scheme earlier.”
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