Shimla: In a shocking revelation, thousands of applicants who eagerly applied for flats in Himuda back in 2010 find themselves at the receiving end of a scandalous betrayal by the government-run housing agency.
Promised a dream home, these applicants were left in the dark for over a decade.
They are making rounds of the Himuda office nowadays, but instead of returning their security money with interest of 13 years, Himuda has charged Rs 500 from them instead and while Himuda conveniently turns a blind eye to their plight.
Suresh Kumar Sharma, a retired officer from the state social and welfare department, is among the victims who, after patiently waiting for 13 years, discovered the harsh reality of Himuda's deceptive tactics.
Having submitted a security deposit of Rs 5000 in 2010, Sharma, like countless others, now faces the insult of a Rs 500 fee deduction, as if that weren't enough, in their quest for reimbursement.
The narrative is not a solitary one; Neelam Sharma shares a similar tale of woe.
Having deposited Rs 5,000 as security in 2010, she, too, is left hanging in a 13-year limbo without the courtesy of a response or the return of her hard-earned money. The victims are not confined to Shimla alone; applicants from Solon, Mandi, Dharmshala, and various other tows are entangled in this same nightmare.
Himuda's indifference towards the aspirations of these applicants has reached alarming proportions. The applicants have submitted applications to the CEO, Himuda seeking refund of their money after long wait of 13 years.
Instead of delivering on the promise of providing homes, the agency callously subjects applicants to endless rounds of bureaucratic hurdles, further exacerbating their anguish.
The so-called "security deposit" amassed by Himuda from these applicants runs into crores, making it nothing short of a colossal scam, charged applicants.
Demanding accountability, the aggrieved applicants urge the state government to investigate to launch a thorough inquiry into this gross injustice.
With receipts in hand dating back to December 2010, the victims insist on a white paper disclosing the number of applicants, the funds accumulated, and an explanation for the 13-year delay in processing their claims or its failure to provide the flat.
The clamor for justice grows louder as the applicants call for punitive measures against those responsible for this egregious dereliction of responsibility.
Himuda’s alleged scam stands as a stark example of a government housing agency exploiting the dreams and hard-earned money of its citizens, leaving them in the lurch after more than a decade of false promises.
