State govt mulls selling flats to retired occupants

The state government is considering a proposal to sell out flats that are situated in its various housing complexes to those retired employees who have refused to vacate them, state Housing minister Sovan Chatterjee said in the Assembly on Tuesday.

Chatterjee said the department did not have any fresh proposal to set up housing complexes for those belonging to the middle and lower income groups at the moment. He was replying to a question raised by Bankim Hazra of Trinamool Congress about Bengal government's views on MIG and LIG housing complexes.

The minister said many state government employees had retired long back but were still occupying flats. As a result, these cannot be given to their successors who have applied for flats. "It is a formidable looking problem and the only way to resolve the issue is to sell them to the present occupants," he said.

Chatterjee maintained that they were working on the price of the flats.

The price may be determined on the basis of the market rate which was prevalent when the housing complexes were built.

"The price will be within their means," he added. The occupants would be given 180 days time to decide whether to buy them or vacate them.

Chatterjee further said there were some state government officials who had been staying outside but were keeping the flats allotted to them under lock and key.

The housing department has a list of such persons but despite repeated requests, they have refused to vacate them.

"I think they will respond to our proposal. They will either keep them or vacate them and this will help us to know our position and those flats can be allotted to fresh applicants."

Senior officials of the state housing department said most of these housing complexes are situated in key locations. The flats are spacious and quite well-maintained. As the rent is very low, the occupants have refused to vacate them.

"This is the story in all the state-run housing complexes and so we have no other choice but to take a decision whether the state government should keep them or sell them to the present occupants outright," an official claimed.

The officials further added that many allottees who had been staying elsewhere had sublet their flats to outsiders who are now occupying them. "The flats are still in the name of the original allottees," an official said. It was maintained that many retired officials had got fresh allotment in the names of their relatives and continue to occupy the flats.

They said that the department was working on the policy and soon those retired employees who had been occupying the flats or those who were staying outside but refused to vacate the flats would be contacted.