IT is disgraceful that our politicians are out to grab the houses built for poor slum dwellers under the centrally-sponsored Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme. If the reports emanating from Srinagar are to be believed, the politician and contractor nexus in Jammu and Kashmir is deeply involved in this scam.

It is indeed a matter of shame that nefarious things have happened in a state where the poor are fighting for their survival and Pakistan-based terrorists are eyeing to exploit their sentiment of isolation and dejection to their advantage. The basic objective of the scheme is to strive for holistic slum development with a healthy and enabling urban environment by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities to slum dwellers of identified urban areas. The revelation of the J&K Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Tara Chand makes it clear that a strong network of politicians, bureaucrats and contractors are quite proactive to usurp the government finance which is coming to the state for its development. At a time when the Union government and the state government are striving their best to rectify the past damages and mistakes, these people are out to frustrate these measures. The J&K government had submitted a detailed project report on 36 urban towns for construction of houses for the homeless, seeking financial assistance of Rs 136.84 crore. Already more than 50 per cent of the fund has been disbursed. Since the fund belongs to the central government, it should order a high level probe and ensure that whoever, irrespective of his political and social stature, is involved in the crime must be punished within a shortest time frame. While this would prove to be a deterrent it would restore the trust of the poor in the government.