The CPM-run Radhakantapur gram panchayat in South 24-Parganas, which had consulted local leaders across all political parties to draw up its list of Amphan-hit beneficiaries, ended up facing people’s ire on Wednesday over alleged corruption.
Villagers said at least 300 persons in Radhakantapur, Mathurapur-II block, who received the government’s Amphan home-repair aid of Rs 20,000 each, were “ineligible”, many being owners of concrete houses that suffered no damage in the May 20 storm.
Champa Baidya, the chief of Radhakantapur gram panchayat, said she and her deputy had to face agitations yesterday (Wednesday) for no fault of theirs. “Our list did not have names of those 300 persons. I have sought an inquiry.”
The village protest coincided with the all-party meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna in Howrah, where chief minister Mamata Banerjee set a seven-day deadline for officials to fix irregularities in the distribution of Amphan aid.
On Radhakantapur, senior CPM leader and former minister Kanti Ganguly alleged that district and block level leaders of Trinamul sent separate lists to the administration. “Those on the list are close to Trinamul leaders. The Radhakantapur incident proves that the administration did not verify before depositing cash in beneficiary accounts,” Ganguly said.
Denying the charges, Trinamul’s Manturam Pakhira, minister for Sunderbans affairs, accused the BJP and the CPM of “provoking people”.
Mathurapur II BDO Rizwan Ahmed said he would inquire into the allegations.
South 24-Parganas has recently seen a series of protests, including attacks on gram panchayat offices run by Trinamul, over irregularities in Amphan compensation. A Trinamul panchayat member in Mathurapur was forced to squat as “punishment” for sending names of his relatives for compensation.