Bhubaneswar, July 10: The All Orissa Panchayat Executive Officers’ (PEOs) Association Monday threatened to boycott all rural housing related works alleging unlawful arrest of PEOs in the ‘percentage commission’ (PC) issue at village level.
Alleging that the action against PEOs and their arrest in the rural housing scheme is arbitrary and vindictive, the association general secretary Biharilal Barik said, “PEOs are being deliberately targeted on the face of PC practice at Panchayat level and they are being made scapegoats to hide the lacunae in the process of functioning of the rural housing schemes.”
“Construction of houses under rural housing scheme is monitored at various levels and there is a nodal officer at block level – the ABDO/AEE/AE to monitor the entire functioning of rural housing scheme for selection of beneficiaries till completion of house being provided. When so many persons are there to filter the scheme at different stages starting from selection of beneficiaries to execution and completion of houses, it is astonished to hint at only the PEO as the culprit for any lapse in the functioning of the scheme,” Barik said.
He further said that prior to 2016-17 the beneficiaries were selected through Palli Sabha and Gram Sabha and selection of surplus number of beneficiaries than the actual target was in practice, where the PEO had no role.
“The politically elected PRI representatives had spread their tentacles and exerted pressure to include beneficiaries at their choice in these schemes,” he alleged.
The association members said that so far vigilance has arrested 25 PEOs in connection with PC culture and the PEOs are being harassed by reopening old files.
The members, who said that they will put their grievance before Chief Ministers’ Office and Panchayati Raj department, said that they have also communicated with the BDOs, collectors and state vigilance seeking justice and warned that if such arrests are not stopped they will snub doing any official works related to Rural Housing scheme.
Meanwhile, Panchayati Raj minister Pradeep Maharathy who had previously assured vigilance inquiry to put curbs on such corrupt practices couldn’t be reached for his comments. PNN
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