Bhubaneswar: Stepping up its attack on Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the Bijepur by-election, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers Thursday staged a demonstration near Raj Bhawan accusing the state government of collecting Rs 21,000 PC (percentage commission) for construction of pucca houses each under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
Many senior BJP leaders and MLAs including state vice-president Sameer Mohanty, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik, general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan, Bhrugu Baxipatra, Bishnu Charan Sethi, Mohan Majhi and Bisweswar Tudu staged the protest and later submitted a memorandum to Governor Ganeshi Lal.
The BJP leaders have alleged that the BJD government has hijacked the PMAY and undemocratically changed the name of the scheme to Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana (BPGY) to take undue credit.
“The BJP always fights against corruption and today also we are doing so. The BJD MLAs are collecting Rs 21,000 as PC (percentage commission) for construction of every pucca house, of which Rs 10,000 is going to the pockets of local BJD MLAs and remaining to the government officials,” alleged BJP general secretary Harichandan.
In June 2017, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had admitted that PC culture is rampant at block and other lower offices and directed the district Collectors to end the corrupt practice.
The BJP leaders also alleged that beneficiaries are being selected on the basis of affinity with the party.
The government, he said, has not mentioned the name of PMAY in the ongoing survey to identify beneficiaries for rural housing scheme. After completion of the survey, the government should do geo-tagging of the houses. However, geo-tagging is being done to the houses of beneficiaries who are BJD workers, Harichandan said.
Although over 16 lakh houses have been constructed under PMAY, a Central scheme, the state government ‘undemocratically’ changed the name of the scheme as ‘Mo Aawas’, he alleged.
Violating the guidelines, the BJD government has first changed the name of PMAY as BPGY and the government is using Chief Minister’s picture and BPGY logo in the work orders and houses constructed under the Central scheme, the BJP leader further alleged.
Another BJP leader Bhrugu Baxipatra, said, “The sole aim of the protest is to condemn Odisha government’s attempt to misuse the Centre’s aid of PMAY. They are illegally spending the funds sanctioned under PMAY on Biju Pucca Ghar. We are trying to reach out to the central leadership through the Governor.”
Earlier, the BJP workers had staged demonstrations before all blocks, NACs and municipalities September 27, 2019. The saffron party resorted to the protest here again Thursday as the government did not take any action in this regard.
In his reaction, BJD leader and Panchayati Raj Minister Pratap Jena said, “The state government is not getting its rights from Centre. Till now, the practice is on. So far as corruption allegation is concerned, the state government has never tolerated any kind of corrupt practice. We will take action if any specific allegation comes to us.”