BHUBANESWAR: Ex-servicemen have expressed disappointment and concern over the Air Force Naval Housing Board’s alleged apathy towards them. At a press conference organised by Indian Ex-servicemen League (IESL), Orissa, here on Friday, ex-servicemen alleged that they were being ‘wrongfully’ denied houses in the Jal Vayu Towers, a housing project being executed by the Air Force Naval Housing Board at Niladri Vihar here. As per the project, the Air Force Naval Housing Board had planned to provide affordable houses to war widows, serving personnel and ex-servicemen from the State. The project was the Board’s first initiative in the State for which the Government allotted four acres at Niladri Vihar. As many as 256 dwelling units have been planned in the allocated area, complete with roads, sewerage, drainage and streetlight facilities. However, though the Board has completed all formalities for allotting houses to the ex-servicemen, it allegedly denied them the same this year stating that all the allotments had been made for war widows and serving personnel. Harassed, the ex-servicemen obtained a stay order on the project on August 3. On the occasion, president of the IESL-Orissa, J Brahma, said the allotments in the housing project should be on a 50:50 basis for serving personnel and ex-servicemen besides allotting a certain number of houses for war widows. Brahma alleged that though there was a directive to the State headquarters by the Armed Forces Headquarters (Ministry of Defence) for immediate release of ` 5,000 each for last rites of veteran ex-servicemen who die, the directive is not being followed here. The ex-servicemen also demanded construction of ‘Sainik Aram Ghar’, a transit house for Sainiks, in Bhubaneswar claiming that Andhra Pradesh has 20 such facilities. They also urged the State Government to allot quarters in Bhubaneswar for the IESL, Orissa, to set up its office and land for construction of an Army Canteen Stores Department (CSD) depot.
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