Balasore: Amid allegations about large-scale irregularities in housing schemes, people of Bardhanpur panchayat in Balasore district alleged that a scam to the tune of Rs.1.5 crore was committed in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in their panchayat alone. They demanded a Vigilance probe into the scam.
They said the names of bona fide beneficiaries are in the list of panchayat. Surprisingly, many of them have not got housing units while their funds have been fraudulently embezzled.
Shockingly, fraudsters have misappropriated even funds meant for widows and dead people, who were shown as beneficiaries in documents.
The people of the panchayat have taken up the issue with the Vigilance.
Reports said, all such irregularities have been committed in Bardhanpur, Sahajadapur and Jaydevsahi.
Rs 1.20 lakh in the name of Krushna Dalei was misappropriated. The list of fraudulence is long.
Rs 90,000 each in the names of Radhua Dalei, Mangulia Dalei, Bhagwan Mahalik; Rs 1.20 lakh each in the names of Aruna Dalei, A Majhi, Gourang Dalei, Bhaskar Dalei, Purusottam Dalei Gangadhar Mohanty and Pata Dalei have been misappropriated.
Their names are in the list of beneficiaries on the website whereas they have not been provided houses in reality.
Sabitri Mahalik of Bardhanpur said,” I came to know that my name as a beneficiary of PMAY was known 15 days ago. The list says, we have got PMAY house while the sarpanch and ward member say nothing about it,” she lamented.
She said Rs 90,000 was defrauded while not single paisa has come to her account.
Residents like Pratap Das, Umakant Das, Mahendra Das, Sudharshan Das and Deepak Poi alleged that some officials in collusion with politicians have looted lakhs of rupees of the PMAY. It was stated that over 40 houses were shown as houses made under PMAY and crores of rupees have been looted, alleged Sudhansu Panda, member of Zilla Parishad.
BDO Shankarshan Behera said, ”We receive complaints from people. ABDO has been asked to look into these allegations. An investigation will be carried out soon and action will be taken.”
PNN
