Non-allotment of promised houses irks AI employees

Mumbai: Fifty-nine-year-old K D Dongre, who retired as an assistant general manager from Air India (AI) last year, was eagerly looking forward to shifting to a new two-bedroom-hall-kitchen house in Nerul, promised to him by his company. However, despite paying up 10% of the total price and booking the flat, he hasn't been issued the house for three years now.
"I had hoped for a better house after retirement, but I have been denied that. Instead of living in a 1,177 square feet house, my family of four is now living in a crammed 350 sq ft rented apartment," said Dongre.
Dongre is one of the 500 AI employees, who staged a demonstration outside the Air India complex on Saturday morning, against the non-allotment of promised houses to staffers.
More than a decade ago, the AI had entered into a lease agreement with the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) to redevelop their land by constructing staff quarters. By 2005, around 500 staffers signed up for the houses in Nerul after depositing 10% of the total share of money. Three years down the line, the staffers are still waiting for a no-objection certificate from CIDCO.
"The flats cannot be issued to us without a no objection certificate. However, the wait has been too long now," said an employee.
AI staffers also allege that CIDCO has asked them to re-apply for the flats, even when the application stage was well past two years ago. They say that to re-apply they will have pay in accordance with the current land rates, which are much higher now.
23/06/08 Times of India

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Categories: NACIL Jun 2008