MALKANGIRI: The wife of Deputy Collector Lalit Mandal has landed in a controversy for allegedly getting a land rights certificate (LRC) for her house in Malkangiri town by producing a ration card of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) which is meant for people belonging to BPL category.
Binotirani Mondal got the LRC against the house in Ward no 15 under the State government’s Jaga Mission from Malkangiri municipality office on August 20 by paying Rs 10,811 only, the premium meant for weaker sections of the society.
Municipality executive officer Ashok Chakrabarty said on getting complaints from residents of Ward no 15 that Binotirani was the Deputy Collector’s wife and not eligible to get the NFSA ration card, show cause notice has been issued to her. She has been asked to deposit the remaining premium of Rs 55,000 in the municipality office soon.
District civil supplies officer Ajay Kumar Ratha said the NFSA ration card issued in favour of Binotirani was cancelled on August 16 after it was found that she was the Deputy Collector’s wife. The card was generated online in July this year by the municipality. The name of Deputy Collector Lalit Mandal was not mentioned in the card. Rather, the name of Binotirani’s father was mentioned in it, said Ratha.
Deputy Collector Lalit, an OAS officer working as an emergency officer in the Malkangiri collectorate, said he was not aware of the ration card issued in his wife’s name as he was posted outside. Quoting his wife, Lalit said it was issued in 2017-18 when NGOs were carrying out a survey in this connection. The ration card was never used to avail any benefits, he claimed.
Meanwhile, local residents demanded a probe into the incident. “How can the NFSA card be issued in favour of the Deputy Collector’s wife? Action should be taken against the authorities which issued the ration card,” they said.