BJP members, police face off during protest over PMAY 'irregularities' in Odisha

Tension prevailed at the block office in Athagarh on Thursday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members tried to gherao the office. The BJP took out a rally from its party office at Chandbali Chhak in Athagarh protesting alleged irregularities in the PMAY beneficiary list.

As per reports, the police stopped the agitators when they tried to gherao the block office. A face-off ensued after some of the agitators reportedly attempted to barge into the office. The protestors demanded removal of ineligible beneficiaries and inclusion of eligible beneficiaries in the PMAY.

There seems to be no let up in the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged irregularities in the allotment of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Odisha. Allegations of widespread irregularities in identifying the eligible beneficiaries have been reported from across the State.

On January 26, tension prevailed in Angul district after scores of left-out beneficiaries locked the Santarapur panchayat office under Banarpal block.

Apart from Angul, resentment is also brewing among beneficiaries in Bolangir district over irregularities in allotment of houses under PMAY. In Bolangir, representatives of 317 panchayats including Sarpanchs, samiti members boycotted pallisabha. The representatives have threatened noncooperation in government works and programmes till the eligible beneficiaries are not included in the scheme.

(Reported By Nilakantha Dora, OTV)