Satwas: Irregularities in the allocation of funds and houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have surfaced in Satwas tehsil of Dewas district.
It is being alleged that persons close to councillors are allocated houses while actual beneficiaries are being deprived, while some of the non-eligible beneficiaries benefited under the scheme after they greased the officials' palms. Many beneficiaries who allocated house under scheme yet to get instalment so far.
The matter came to fore when a group of villagers led by councillor Satnam Singh Bagga complained with Ujjain-based urban administration joint director Somnath Jhariya on October 5. Jhariya in turned ordered officials to seize all the records related to the PMAY within the next one week.
The joint director also constituted five officer team for the same, however even after one week no one visited Satwas to seize the document. Delay in the seizure of documents creating unrest among the villagers who continuously demanding probe in the matter.
Villagers who filed RTI seeking information about the allocation of house and funds accused council looking least interest to provide information on the matter just to cover-up their misdeed. Villagers said that many of the beneficiaries who filed RTI about four months back yet to get any reply. They alleged that despite their names were in the PMAY beneficiary list, however, the house allocated in their names have been transferred to someone else’s account.
Levelling serious allegation of financial irregularities in the scheme, Bagga said that official concerned here in Satwas municipal council has allocated up to Rs 50,000 under the PMAY to as many 33 non-eligible beneficiaries, which mean financial irregularities of Rs 16.5 lakh in on the paper and when complaint was lodged in the matter to the higher authorities, those who allocated the fund submitted a certificate claiming that they already recovered money, but the fact is not a single penny was recovered from non-eligible beneficiaries so far.
Bagga said that officials concerned not only involved in the financial irregularities but misleading the higher authorities as well.
Bagga also accused some of the councillors of nepotism in the scheme saying that some councillors here helped their non-eligible kin to get benefit under the scheme. Not only kin, but some of the villagers who shifted to Satwas from other places only a few months back were benefited under the scheme.
Bagga added that on the other hand over 400 beneficiaries who were selected under the scheme yet to get fund, even after the council got money from the authorities.
When contacted joint director Jhariya said that he got a complaint and asked officials to seize all the documents related to PMAY since April 1, 2017, and to bring transparency in the matter, the investigation will be done, Jhariya assured.
Not only Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but Satwas municipal council in news for irregularities surfaced in various government projects including Narmada Payjal Yojana.
Sources claimed that it might be first time in the history of Madhya Pradesh when four chief municipal officials have been suspended after official concerned spend Rs two crore under the project for other work. For the reason, project is running two years late from its completion deadline. Councillors here already lodged their complaint with Ujjain-based economic offence wing (EOW) and the investigation in the matter is going on.
