Narayanpatna: Officials of Jeypore Vigilance wing Saturday unearthed a number of irregularities in distribution of IAY and Mo Kudia houses in Narayanpatna block of Koraput district during 2012-13 fiscal.
DSP K Kulu and inspector SR Sahoo made a surprise visit to block office and thoroughly verified several files and documents in connection with the housing schemes for about two hours. Besides, the team also visited Shundhi Sahi, Harijan Sahi, Balipeta and Bikrampur villages of Balipeta panchayat to meet beneficiaries and match their houses with the photographs in records.
During the probe, it was revealed that 28 of the 32 beneficiaries of Bikrampur village had managed to bungle funds by showing fake photographs of their houses. Besides, it came to light that a gram rozgar sevak (GRS) of Narayanpatna succeeded in getting houses in the names of seven of his family members by fraudulent means. While the construction of one house has been completed, six others are half-way through, it was learnt.
Besides, the sleuths came to know that a panchayat executive officer had misled the block development officer (BDO) to give away government money to some beneficiaries. However, these beneficiaries told the officials that the GRS had collected Rs10,000 from each of them to grant work orders. At least four former BDOs – Ramesh Sahoo, Bhagaban, Satyaban Behera and Rajendra Kumar Acharia – were involved in the fraud, DSP Kulu said.
Similarly, it was learnt that of 27 houses in Balipeta panchayat, at least two beneficiaries have managed to pocket the money without laying a single brick for their houses. During the probe, the team found that most of the beneficiaries in the panchayat embezzled funds by repairing their old houses and submitting photographs of them with authorities.
PNN
