CHENNAI: Acting on a pseudonymous complaint, the DVAC (Namakkal detachment) stumbled upon what seems to be a prototype of scams to misuse government funds at the grassroot level.The directorate has booked 11 people, including public servants who had served in Thengalpalayam village panchayat or Vennandur block development office, for allegedly delivering government schemes to ineligible persons and receiving kickbacks.
Former Thengalpalayam panchayat president (during 2011-16) T Amuthavalli (50) has been accused of committing such acts besides abetting other public servants to connive. The names of her husband Tamilmani (52), member of a political party, and son Raghuprasanth (29) have also been mentioned in the FIR.The commission said Tamilmani also allegedly abetted his wife and other public servants to commit corrupt acts. The couple, along with the then Thengalpalayam VAO T Allimuthi (50), received between Rs 3,000 and Rs 10,000 from ineligible persons to get them enrolled under the government’s old-age pension scheme.
Besides, Amuthavalli abused her office by issuing approvals for layouts in exchange for Rs 9 lakh and two plots (free of cost) in her son’s name. The DVAC said one of the layouts lacked even basic facilities.The couple had also received large sums of money for helping workers claim MGNREGA wages without actual work done on the ground, the FIR said.
Other public servants who helped the couple and were booked include former Vennandur Block Development Officer (block panchayats) C Gunasekaran (now retired), former Vennandur block overseers KR Baby and M Usha, former Thengalpalayam panchayat secretary P Sumathi, and others. The DVAC said the government incurred a loss of more than Rs 8 lakh due to such malpractices.