Purna Chandra is our India Unheard Community correspondent from Sundargarh District, Odisha. He has been involved in social work with adivasis and Dalits for some time now and is proud that he has been able to use his education and exposure for this. The media, he says, doesn’t go into the interiors of the country to report the issues there.…
The Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) Scheme is a 1985 Indian government initiated social welfare programme created to provide housing for the rural underprivileged in India. People like Dhaneswari are promised a house under this scheme, however due to corrupt staff members like Mitru her house is left half finished with officials then saying the cannot do anything about it. Dhaneswari and 50 other residents are currently living in half constructed unsafe housing. She needs you help NOW!
Call to Action: Pressure the District Collector to construct new houses for Dhaneswari and the 50 other residents left without a roof over their heads.
Bhupinder Singh Punia, District Collector, Tel 09438399144.
VV Correspondent Purnachandra Nayak interviews Dhaneswari Dehuri from Kilinda, Talabahali Panchayat, Lahunipara block, Sundargarh district, Odisha.
Dhaneswari was meant to be one of the 50 Pahadi Bhuyan tribals who were benefitting from this scheme. She was allotted the go ahead forthe IAY scheme by Pahadi Bhuyan Development Agency (PBDA) in 2009.
Dhaneswari explains, how Mitru a staff member of PBDA came to construct her house but left in the middle of it. She explains:
“We went to the Block District Officer (BDO). We also went to the PBDA office. They said come with Mitru. But Mitru is hiding from us.”
The PBDA’s response was weak: “He took money for constructing your house. What can we do if he does not do it?”
All is not lost. Through similar case, Community Correspondent Kamal Kishor from Jharkhand managed to end corruption with his
video. This goes to show just how powerful a community’s voice teamed with a camera is.
That is why we need your help to solve this issue. We need the District Collector to make the PBDA accountable for its staff. The PBDA need to construct new houses for Dhaneswari and the other 50 residents. Mitru needs to be found and the money retrieved if possible. So please call the number above NOW!
Watch more videos like this by clicking on this
link.
Written by Manjinder Singh Sidhu
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