The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted glaring corruption by the TMC-led West Bengal in connection with the disbursement of funds for the 2017 Malda floods.
An explosive 700-page report to this effect was recently submitted by the CAG before the Supreme Court. According to Ei Samay, which accessed the report, taxpayers’ money to the tune of ₹100 crores was embezzled in the guise of flood relief.
CAG investigated the flood relief funds disbursed by the TMC government in 12 blocks of Malda district. Several victims are yet to receive the compensation even after 9 years of the disaster.
On the other hand, money was disbursed to only 6,965 selected people and that too multiple times. One person in Harishchandrapur-II block received compensation for the same ‘damage’ 42 times.
Instead of the initial compensation amount of ₹17600, the average funds disbursed to each account turned out to be ₹70,000.
An additional ₹7.5 crores was embezzled by claiming damage to 1609 pucca houses, which remained unaffected during the 2017 Malda floods. No verification was done to ascertain whether the houses were actually ravaged during the floods.
The administration sought ₹100 crores for compensation to residents of 71000 mud houses in the Malda district. Funds were disbursed to individuals whose names did not even feature in the list of victims.
There were clear procedural lapses. Panchayat representatives and the Block Development Officers cited ‘missing documents’ when asked about ₹1.11 crores disbursed to 1904 people in Old Malda block.
CAG found rampant corruption in the flood relief activities in Old Malda, Harishchandrapur-II, Ratua-I, Ratua-II, and Chanchal-II blocks. In one instance, a person was sent ₹5.90 crores through multiple payments.
Despite all this, no police complaint was ever filed about the brazen embezzlement in the distribution of funds for rebuilding houses of victims of the 2017 Malda floods.
According to the CAG report, 36 Panchayat Samiti members showed that they were the owners of their houses that were damaged during the natural disaster. 72 Gram panchayat members, who received salaries from the government, took flood relief compensation by posing as victims.
While speaking about the matter, advocate Anindya Ghosh representing the victims stated, “It is clear from the CAG report that the money given for flood compensation has been embezzled. Although the CAG has not implicated any government officer, we have named atleast 30 BDOs who were in charge of those blocks between 2017 and 2020.”
