Daudnagar (Aurangabad): A high-voltage 20-point block committee meeting escalated into chaos on Saturday as members raised serious allegations of corruption, scams, and administrative negligence against local officials.
The meeting, held at the Block-cum-Circle Office premises hall, was chaired by the 20-Point Block President, Deepak Patel. The proceedings were conducted by the Block Development Officer (BDO), Mohammad Zafar Imam, acting as the secretary.
The ASHA Recruitment Scam: Selected Candidates Awaiting Appointment for 1.5 Years
The most glaring issue raised during the meeting was the large-scale irregularity in the recruitment of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers.
Committee members revealed a shocking manipulation in the hiring process:
- Delayed Appointments: Legally selected ASHA workers have been denied their official appointment letters for the last one and a half years.
- Backdoor Entries: Members alleged a conspiracy to bypass the top-ranked candidates to illegally appoint second-place contenders in exchange for kickbacks.
Anganwadi Graft: CDPO Accused of Taking ₹5,000 Bribe Per Center
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Anganwadi centers came under severe scrutiny. Committee members emphasized an urgent need for surprise inspections across various centers due to rampant operational discrepancies.
“Sevikas (Anganwadi workers) frequently complain that they receive a highly deficit supply of nutritional food (Poshahar) for children,” members noted.
Taking the allegations a step further, President Deepak Patel cited a media report claiming that the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) allegedly receives a monthly bribe of ₹5,000 per Anganwadi center to overlook these irregularities.
Public Welfare Neglected: Officials Ignore Committee Directives
The committee members expressed deep anger over the absolute apathy of local bureaucrats. They noted that despite using the formal title “Mananiya” (Honorable) in official communications, elected representatives and committee members are treated with zero respect by the administration.
Key Grievances Raised Against Other Departments:
- Fertilizer Black Marketing: Widespread black marketing and supply chain disruption of agricultural fertilizers.
- Departmental Failure: Serious lapses in the functioning of the Electricity Department, local Police, Animal Husbandry, and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
- Absenteeism: Several department heads completely skipped the meeting. Members demanded strict punitive action against officials who consistently boycott the 20-point review meetings.
Administration Promises Swift Accountability
In response to the mounting pressure from the committee, Secretary-cum-BDO Mohammad Zafar Imam assured the board that strict accountability would be maintained moving forward. He promised that a certified copy of the meeting’s resolution register (Karwayi Panji) would be provided to all members immediately after the session to ensure transparency.
Additionally, Circle Officer (CO) Shailendra Kumar Yadav addressed the land dispute grievances raised by the members and assured timely resolutions.
Key Attendees at the Meeting:
The meeting saw the presence of 20-Point Vice President Shyam Kumar पाठक (Pathak), and prominent members including Ranjan Verma, Awadhesh Paswan, Ranjit Sharma, Ranjit Kushwaha, Rakesh Pandey, Dr. Dinesh Verma, Yamuna Singh, Seeman Kumari, Sanjay Sharma, Prashant Tanti, and Shashi Kumar alongside various departmental officers.