Residents of two villages in Malda on Thursday alleged that their names were not included in the central rural housing scheme because a few elected representatives of Trinamul were asking for money “for the favour”.

They threatened not to vote in the upcoming panchayat elections if matters were not rectified.

On Thursday, over 200 villagers walked up to a state highway of the district, carrying placards and festoons, and blocked the highway. They demanded the administration would have to take steps to include their names as beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

In the past few weeks, protests have been witnessed in different parts of Bengal over the PMAY issue as the state government has taken up the task to verify the eligibility of prospective beneficiaries under the scheme.

“Those with concrete houses, who make decent money, are on the PMAY list. Poor people like us are deprived. The administration should look into the issue or else we find no reason to cast our votes,” said Monglu Rahman of Mollabari village, which is under Rashidabad panchayat of Harishchandrapur.

Many villagers from Mollabari and adjoining Janamdal, who blocked the Harishchandrapur-Kushida state highway for around one-anda-half hours, echoed Rahman. Mirazul Islam, who runs a tea stall, blatantly criticised elected panchayat representatives.

“Some panchayat members are corrupt. They want anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 to include names on the PMAY list. Those of us who could not pay stayed out of the list. What is the point in electing panchayat members?” said Islam.

Both villages, sources said, are Trinamul strongholds. Altogether, there are around 1,000 voters in these areas.

The blockade lifted when some panchayat members turned up at the spot to assure protesters that necessary amendments would be made to the beneficiary list.

A couple of days back, a similar protest was organised by around 150 people of Rangpur-Mahaldar Para in Malda’s Chanchal-I block.

“There are around 50 families in our village and not a single family has been enlisted as a PMAY beneficiary. A panchayat member assured us that our names would be included but asked for money,” said Kamala Mahaldar of the village.

District administration officials said they were putting all efforts to verify the lists of every village.

“Officers of the district administration are visiting the blocks regularly to ensure that the ongoing survey for PMAY, which is being conducted by ASHA and ICDS workers, is done smoothly. There is constant monitoring at the sub-divisional and district levels to confirm that no incorrect list with names of ineligible beneficiaries is prepared,” said a senior official.