Kosi flood. Telegraph picture

Bhagalpur, Dec. 17: Madhepura district magistrate (DM) Minhaz Alam has recommended the suspension of Chousa block development officer (BDO) Sanjay Kumar for alleged anomalies in the list of beneficiaries for the victim rehabilitation and house reconstruction in the 2008 Kosi flood.

Alam also suspended Yogendra Yadav, the secretary of Phooleth (west) panchayat, and issued a showcause to Mukesh Kumar, the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Udhakishunganj in the district, to clarify his stand within three days.

The SDO has also been charged with negligence while preparing the list of beneficiaries for the government’s ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction projects for the Kosi flood victims in the district.

Alam told reporters that following several complaints of large-scale irregularities in drawing up the list of beneficiaries, he constituted a high-level committee last month under the leadership of senior additional collector of disaster management cell in the district, Ajay Kumar.

The panel also conducted a probe and found that fake beneficiaries had been included in the list in exchange of money.

Ajay also mentioned in the report that Rajesh Kumar, the son of Yogendra Yadav, played a prime role in drawing up the fake beneficiary lists.

He also raised a finger at the role of the Udhakishunganj SDO for patronising such rackets.

On the other hand, the DM forwarded the recommendation for the BDO’s suspension to Kosi divisional commissioner RKJ Rao and to the rural development department.

Sources said post-flood, the entire Kosi region witnessed a sudden spurt in embezzlement of funds meant for the flood victims.

“The government’s tall claims about the Kosi rehabilitation and reconstruction projects appear failed because of the nexus between some corrupt officials and middlemen,” alleged Bijay Kumar, a social activist in Saharsa.

According to Bijay, Kumarkhand police station had instituted an FIR against then BDO Gopal Prasad and six other block employees for alleged irregularities in distribution of flood relief items following the direction of a local court in Madhepura.

Shyamnandan Singh, a social activist who had earlier filed an RTI on the flood relief, had also filed a complaint case in the local court.

In Saharsa district too, Pattarghat BDO Ramadhar Prasad had filed an FIR on November 8 against his predecessor, Gulam Sorbar Ansari (at present posted as Maheshi BDO in East Champaran), for misappropriating almost Rs 65 lakh from the backward region grant fund in the 2010-11 financial year.

Apart from Ansari, 30 other government employees in the block were also made co-accused in the case.