Nagaon, August 20: Allegations of large-scale irregularities in the allotment and construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have surfaced in Shingimari Gaon Panchayat under Shingimari Development Block in Assam’s Nagaon district.
Complainants alleged that houses meant for poor and eligible beneficiaries were allotted in the names of financially well-off people, including owners of two- and three-storey houses. They also alleged that some panchayat representatives and Gaon Panchayat Coordinator Haider Ali facilitated the irregularities.
The complaints further alleged manipulation of the scheme’s geo-tagging process, with photographs or locations of houses and cowsheds belonging to poor residents allegedly being used to sanction PMAY houses in the names of affluent individuals.
In some cases, beneficiaries allegedly received the full sanctioned amount without constructing the houses, raising allegations of misappropriation of government funds. The complainants also claimed that several financially well-off individuals had recently received the first and second instalments under the scheme.
The allegations have not been independently verified. Pradeep Kalita, president of the Krishak Shramik Unnayan Sangram Samiti, urged the Nagaon district commissioner to investigate the matter and initiate cases against anyone found to have fraudulently benefited from the scheme.
