Hatadihi: A beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Kendujhar district has been struggling to receive housing assistance as all three instalments meant for him were transferred to another person’s bank account in neighbouring Jajpur district.
Anand Chandra Sahu of Nilapur village under Panchugochhia panchayat in Hatadihi block was sanctioned a house under the PMAY scheme in 2021-22. However, the instalments were credited to the Bank of Baroda account of Anita Sahu of Kundapatana village under Rasulpur block in Jajpur district instead of his own account.
After discovering the error, Anand visited Kundapatana and persuaded Anita to return the first instalment. His efforts bore fruit as Anand managed to receive the first instalment from the woman. He subsequently informed Hatadihi block officials, hoping the problem would be corrected. However, the second instalment was also transferred to the same account.
After repeated complaints to the block administration failed to resolve the issue, Anand again visited Kundapatana and managed to recover the second instalment with considerable difficulty. Despite his repeated appeals, the bank account details were not cor rected. The third instalment was also credited to Anita’s account.
Anand said he had borrowed money to complete the house and was now struggling to recover the remaining assistance. He recently revisited Kundapata to meet Anita, but she was no longer accessible, he alleged.
He said repeated visits to the Hatadihi block office had failed to secure a permanent solution. He met the Block Development Officer (BDO) again Monday to explain his predicament. BDO Ranjan Parida said the problem had arisen because of Aadhaar-based payments.
When he joined the block, more than 1,000 beneficiaries were facing similar issues. The administration has resolved the problems of more than 800 people, while cases involving some beneficiaries remain pending, he said.
Efforts are continuing to resolve the remaining cases, the BDO added.
