The first resolution moved at the maiden meeting of the newly elected Kochi Corporation Council, seeking to relax the lock-in period of title deeds of houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) before they are released to beneficiaries, descended into a heated political debate on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the State government for not signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of PMAY-U 2.0, which saw the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) inadvertently uniting to oppose it. The resolution was moved by UDF councillor K.X. Francis, who lamented that the lock-in period of title deeds had been progressively extended from the initial five years to seven years, and now to 12 years, significantly restricting beneficiaries from using them to raise resources during emergencies, among other needs.
BJP councillor Priya Prashanth clarified that the extended lock-in period applied only to applications submitted after December 2024, while justifying the restriction as a deterrent against beneficiaries selling their houses on a whim. “While seeking to relax the lock-in period, the resolution may also urge the State government to sign the MoU for PMAY-U 2.0, under which the allocation has been increased to ₹6 lakh [from the existing ₹4 lakh],” she said.
