Political Meddling Alleged in Selection of Indiramma House Beneficiaries

Villagers alleged that mandal parishad development officers, secretaries and officials appointed as special officers were selecting beneficiaries without involving the committee members. Officials, they said, are manipulating beneficiary lists under pressure from sitting MLAs.

Questions have also been raised over whether the selection criteria are being followed before the lists are approved by the respective district collectors. Villagers alleged that in-charge minister Jupally Krishna Rao had not taken sufficient interest in ensuring compliance with the eligibility criteria.

A villager from Tamsi mandal questioned why MPDOs had not verified whether applicants lived in huts or permanent houses or owned agricultural land before approving their names. The villager said some applicants were presenting cattle sheds as huts to meet the eligibility criteria.

In some areas, local political leaders who are also contractors are allegedly influencing the selection process, resulting in ineligible applicants being included in the beneficiary lists.

Residents claimed that several applicants who owned permanent houses and other assets had been included in the second-phase lists, which were cleared in the Adilabad and Boath Assembly constituencies.

The appointment of BJP and BRS leaders to Indiramma committees had earlier drawn objections, with Congress leaders demanding that the authorities cancel the committees and constitute new ones. However, no action was taken.

Villagers and community leaders said they were familiar with the financial circumstances of poor households eligible for the scheme but alleged that officials were relying on lists provided by sitting MLAs instead of consulting local representatives.

Some political leaders allegedly secured housing sanctions for applicants under their quota through in-charge minister Jupally Krishna Rao or revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.

There were also reports that some ward councillors were collecting money from people whose names appeared on the Indiramma housing beneficiary lists in Adilabad municipality. The allegations could not be independently verified from the information provided.

Senior Congress leaders submitted their list of eligible beneficiaries to the in-charge ministers, but those lists were kept pending and not approved. Some influential leaders having good relations with the in-charge minister got their lists approved.