Thirty-five-year-old Vandana Subash Kadam, whose family had applied for the 465 square feet flat worth only Rs 1.50 lakh being offered by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, finds her dream of owning a house in a prime location shattered. The PCMC has disqualified the Kadam family from its economically weaker section (EWS) scheme. And the reason: there are two claimants by the same name, one of whom owns a property.

The Kadam family which lives in a chawl in Nehrunagar area is among the 1198 applicants who had been disqualified from the scheme. The family however finds itself difficult to understand the reasons for disqualification cited by the PCMC. "PCMC tells us that we own a property. How can that be possible? We live in a 10 X 10 chawl room by paying a monthly rent of Rs 200. Neither I nor my husband has a property anywhere in Pimpri," says Vandana Kadam, a housewife.

Mother of three children, Kadam says her husband barely earns Rs 3000 per month which is just not enough for them to buy a property anywhere in Pimpri-Chinchwad. "I had made scores of trips to the PCMC headquarters in the hope that our dream of owning a house will materialise one day. Now my family is in a state of shock after learning that we have been debarred from the EWS scheme," says Kadam. "Our entire family was happy after our application was accepted by PCMC last year. My mother and father kept running around getting papers in order. And now everything seems to be lost," says Gauri Kadam, a Class XI student.

Swearing that they don't own a property, Kadam says,"If it is proved that we own a property we are ready to go to the jail."

When contacted, PCMC assistant municipal commissioner Sudhir Joshi said the Kadam family was at fault. "In May and June, we had requested those disqualified to submit necessary documents to be eligible for the scheme. The Kadam family did not submit any documents," he said. "There are two persons by the same name. One of whom owns a property. That is why the Kadams where disqualified and told to provide correct information which they did not do," he said. Joshi said the Kadam family, if it did not own a house, will still be eligbile provided the municipal commissioner gives another chance to those disqualified to submit necessary proof.

Former mayor Vaishali Ghodekar, who took the up the case with the commissioner, was promised an investigation into the matter. "I will look into the matter," Sharma said.