Indus Valley Times

By A Iswar Rao

Malkangiri Odisha :The Villagers have locked the Gram Panchayat office, Goudaguda along with Malkangiri Block Vice Chairman Niranjan Haldar, Sarpanch Pandri Podiami, Naib Sarpanch Subash Biswas, PEO Nikhil Banerjee and several officials, for three hours, alleging mismanagement in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred when a group of villagers gathered in front of the Gram Panchayat office to protest against  the implementation of PMAY. They alleged that several villagers, eligible for the scheme, have not been listed in beneficiary list.

The villagers demanded a meeting with the officials to discuss the matter and, when their demands were not met, they locked the office and the officials inside. The situation was later resolved after the intervention of  Police along with DWO Ajay Kumar Pradhan and Tahasildar Chandan Kumar Bhoi , and the officials were released after three hours.

In a statement, the villagers said that they were not satisfied with the way the PMAY scheme was being implemented and demanded a transparent and accountable system. They also demanded immediate action against the officials responsible for the fair list of actual beneficiaries  in the implementation of the scheme.

The local authorities have promised to investigate the matter and take necessary action. Meanwhile, the PMAY scheme, which aims to provide affordable housing to the economically weaker sections of the society, remains a critical issue in Goudaguda GP.