Asked to pay Rs 15000 as bribe, says Panchayat member

Bandipora, Jan 31: A Panchayat member approached the Block Development Officer (BDO) in presence of a local legislator with a ‘bribe’ of Rs 15000 which, according to him, was demanded by a Village Level Worker for clearance of Indra Awas Yojna (IAY) cases.

The Panchayat member’s move, reportedly in presence of MLA Bandipora, has brought the Rural Development Department in the district under public scanner.

Reports said Abdul Rashid, a Panchayat member from Sumlar B along with the villagers of the block, accused the Block Development Office and concerned Village Level Workers of indulging in bribery while dealing with public matters.

“I was asked to pay Rs 15,000 by a village level worker to get an IAY case of an orphan cleared. The BDO officials also asked me to pay bribe for approval of works under various schemes,” Rashid told reporters here in presence of MLA Bandipora.

Rashid alleged that they are being “forced to pay Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 to get the funds released under various schemes.” The villagers from Sumlar Block alleged that the Rural Development Department has turned into a “hub of corruption.”

The villagers alleged large-scale bungling in clearance of IAY cases and also for different works under Total Sanitation Campaign and NERGA.

Demanding a CBI probe into the corruption in RDD, they said: “Government should punish the officials resorting to corruption,”
 Meanwhile MLA Bandipora Nizamudin Bhat demanded a probe into the complaints lodged by the villagers. “Since the complaints are very serious, the government should get them probed,” Bhat said.

The BDO Bandipora Sayed Sajad Qadri denied the allegations of corruption and bungling in his office. “I have initiated probe into the complaints lodged by people,” he said.

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