The Central Government’s housing scheme for the poor, Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), has become a medium of loot in Rajnagar block as about 11 persons’ money was withdrawn illegally without the knowledge of the beneficiaries.
The BDO of Rajnagar lodged an FIR at Rajnagar police station recently in this regard for a thorough inquiry against the kiosk operation of Bank of Baroda and take stern action against those involved in duping the Government doles.
The Rajnagar police have registered a case in this regard bearing case no 176/15 under Sections 417,419,468 and 420 of IPC. Police have started an inquiry on the alleged matter, informed IIC Sitakantha Kanungo.
According to official sources, as many as 11 persons, including nine of Dighi village and two of Junusnagar, lost the funds under the IAY scheme as by submitting false and fabricated documents, the funds were withdrawn.
What is galling is the victim persons never submitted their applications either at the panchayat office or block office for getting IAY houses. But surprisingly, they became beneficiaries under IAY schemes without their knowledge and the money too was unscrupulously withdrawn keeping them in dark.
The victims were Batakrushna Mallick, Abhimanyu Mallick, Natabar Mallick, Brahmananda Mallick, Kanaklata Mallick, Krushna Chandra Mallick(the son of Jyoti Mallick) , Krushna Chandra Mallick(the son of Duryodhan Mallick) and Ramchandra Mallick of Dighi village under Iswarpur panchayat, Bharat Chandra Jena and Jayant Jena of Junusnagar.
While only one villager in the name of Abhimanyu Mallick has been residing in Dighi village, interestingly two IAY houses have been sanctioned in Abhimanyu Mallick’s name.
As per the preliminary inquiry made by the block administration, it has come to the fore that some unscrupulous persons managed to submit fake documents in these 11 beneficiaries’ names by giving false specimen signature for opening the bank accounts at the kiosk center of Bank of Baroda. later, IAY instalment money was transferred to these accounts.
As per the guidelines in order to become a beneficiary under IAY , the beneficiaries should be selected to get IAY in the gram sabha. later, the gram sevak of the concerned panchayat generally goes to the beneficiaries’ houses to collect the documents after conducting inquiry. Subsequently, the block authority issues the work order against the beneficiaries’ names after scrutinizing the documents in the block office and at last, the block authority deposits the first instalment in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. But no such things occurred in the case of the 11 persons.
According to BDO Maitir Bhattacharya, in the preliminary inquiry it has been found that the kiosk operator of Bank of Baroda bungled the cash.