Awas Yojana funds in wrong bank accounts, HC calls it ‘deliberate fraud’
Kolkata: Following the submission of a report by the state revealing that PM Awas Yojana funds in case of five beneficiaries under a Panchayat in Canning -I Block went to wrong bank accounts, the Calcutta High Court, calling it a deliberate and willful fraud, directed the state to consider criminal proceedings if so advised while directing the bank to furnish details of the accounts where the money was transferred to.
In the matter that was heard by the Bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur, five petitioners had registered themselves in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) through their local Panchayat office (Itkhola Gram Panchayat) after submitting necessary documents.
The petitioners found that some of the Panchayat members along with the Panchayat Pradhan allegedly used their administrative position and pressurised the Panchayat workers into changing the bank account numbers of the petitioners to bank account numbers of some of the accomplice of the Pradhan. They allegedly were enjoying the benefits of the petitioners who were deprived of their right to receive the funds to build their houses. The state’s report stated that upon scrutiny it was found that in two cases only one installment was disbursed in the wrong account number. The Itkhola Gram Panchayat issued a stopped payment request as soon as the discrepancies in account number was identified. In other three cases, all three installments were disbursed to wrong account numbers. However, the secretary of the Gram Panchayat issued letters to the account holders to whom all three installments were wrongly credited to for recovery of the whole amount, read the state report.
Advocate Sudipta Dasgupta appearing for the petitioners confirmed that the court observed that this was a deliberate and willful fraud and directed the secretary of the Panchayat and Rural
Development department to initiate criminal proceedings if so advised while directed the bank to furnish details of the accounts where the money was credited.
