PILIBHIT: District panchayat raj officer (DPRO) Satish Kumar has “declined to initiate legal action” in an alleged bribery case involving around a dozen physically challenged villagers from five gram panchayats in Bilsanda development block. Locals had earlier alleged they were coerced into paying bribes of Rs 10,000 each to secure housing under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana, a govt scheme in UP.
The issue came to light in late Nov after a video, circulated on social media, showed victims narrating their ordeal. They claimed that despite paying bribes to village panchayat secretary Prakash Ram Arya, they were “denied their rightful allotment of govt-sponsored houses. Some of the victims were visually impaired.”
In the video, a man identifying himself as Satyam Tiwari, a private assistant to Arya, admitted to collecting the bribes on the panchayat secretary’s instructions. Tiwari claimed he transferred the collected amounts to Arya’s account via internet banking.
Tiwari also revealed that Arya oversees six gram panchayats—Marena, Maniya, Panadri Marauri, Piparia Singipur, Rampur Basant and Simrauli— and that 12 houses were allocated to physically challenged individuals across five panchayats, excluding Simrauli.
Project director of District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), Shailen Vyas, issued a notice to Arya on Nov 30, seeking an explanation within three days. A copy of the notice was sent to DPRO Satish Kumar on Dec 4, urging him to ensure appropriate action. Kumar dismissed the matter, saying, “The matter does not relate to my department. I will not take any action unless a complete inquiry report is submitted to me by DRDA project director.”
This statement has drawn criticism, as panchayat secretaries are directly governed by DPRO, and the implementation of govt housing schemes is a joint effort of the panchayat raj department and the development department.
Reacting to Kumar’s stance, Vyas said it is the DPRO’s responsibility to issue a notice to the accused panchayat secretary and order an investigation. “DPRO must take action as village panchayat secretaries fall under his purview,” he said.
It may be noted that the block development officer (BDO) of Bilsanda, Amit Shukla, had formed a three-member inquiry committee on Nov 23 to investigate the allegations and demanded a report within three days. However, despite two reminders, including one issued on Dec 4, the report is yet to be submitted.
