Raiganj municipality initiates legal action against PMAY defaulters

Raiganj: The Raiganj Municipality in North Dinajpur district has lodged a formal complaint with the Raiganj Police Station, seeking legal action against 486 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for failing to commence construction of their allotted houses despite receiving the first installment of funds between 2015 and 2022.

Municipal authorities stated that the PMAY fund is public money meant to provide permanent housing for economically weaker sections.

The non-utilization of these funds has not only stalled the housing project but also deprived other deserving families of the opportunity to benefit from the scheme.

Under PMAY, each beneficiary is entitled to a maximum of Ra. 3.43 lakh jointly funded by the central and state governments for constructing a pucca house. Records show that out of 542 beneficiaries across all 27 wards of Raiganj Municipality who received the first installment, only 56 have returned the money after failing to initiate construction. The remaining 486 beneficiaries have neither started building their houses nor refunded the amount.

It was also reported that the central government stopped funding the PMAY scheme more than two years ago, following which the state government introduced the Bangla Awas Yojana to continue providing similar housing assistance.

Sandip Biswas, Administrator of Raiganj Municipality, said, “Despite receiving the first installment, 542 beneficiaries receiving more than Rs 3.42 crore did not construct their houses. We issued notices to them twice asking either to start construction or return the funds. Awareness programmes were also conducted, but only 56 beneficiaries responded. The remaining beneficiaries ignored our directives. Hence, the municipality has lodged a complaint with Raiganj Police Station seeking legal action against them.”