NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Sept 2 - Corruption charges filed against several employees of the Dhakuakhana block development office has left the department without its regular staff. This has happened as all the accused employees of the office are absconding or are on prolonged leave to avert arrests as their charges are under non-bailable sections.
The Sub-Divisional Officer of Dhakuakhana, Devashish Baishya filed cases against 40 different individuals of Dhakuakhana, a week ago following allegations of embezzlement of public money of MGNREGA works at various gaon panchayats of the subdivision. The accused included Himananda Das, the Block Development Officer, Dhakuakhana, Kula Chamuah and Kushal Dutta, junior engineers, chairman of Dhakuakhana DRDA, gaon panchayat representatives etc.
Following the filing of cases, the BDO, Dhakuakhana went for leave on health grounds and his junior colleagues have stopped attending the office to evade arrest. This has left the BDO Office in Dhakuakhana in a standstill with no progress in daily work.
Beneficiaries of PMAY Housing scheme are facing worst problems as the second installment of their fund could not be credited to their bank accounts due to the absence of the junior engineer and the BDO. The installments of PMAY scheme are only released following reports by the junior engineer and authorisation by the BDO. Recently, the Joint Director of State Rural Development department Indranee Laskar assured the local public about appointing temporary staff at the Dhakuakhana BDO office. But nothing has materialised so far.
Ironically, this is happening in an LAC where the elected representative is the State Rural Development Minister Naba Kumar Doley. A close aide of the Minister Meera Patir, the chief of Anchalik Panchayat is also an accused in this case who is also absconding.
