Mysuru: There has been an increase in the involvement of middlemen while choosing the beneficiaries under the Rural Housing Scheme who have been cheating people collecting Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000, said MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD) during a review meeting of Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) of Gram Panchayats (GP) coming under Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency at Mini Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday.

Stating that he had received complaints on the middlemen from many elected representatives, GTD added that an official attached to Chief Minister’s Office had been interfering in preparing the list of beneficiaries.

An upset GTD said that being Chairman of Awareness Committee on Housing Schemes, he himself had never interfered in the preparation of the list as the GPs have been given total independence in selecting beneficiaries for which even the Chief Minister has no power to   change the list.

Taking the Taluk Panchayat (TP) Executive Officer (EO) and PDOs to task, GTD questioned how the officers could place the list of beneficiaries prepared by Chief Minister’s Joint Secretary Ramaiah for approval before the GP.

“This is not a list officially prepared by the State Government. Instead, by an officer, who is the Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister,” he added.

GTD also urged the officials not to consider the old list but to make a fresh list of beneficiaries. He also instructed the officials to videograph the meetings and announce the new list at the earliest.

The officials were also instructed to conduct the meeting of Koorgalli GP today (Wednesday) for which GTD said he would also attend in person to review the list of beneficiaries. He reiterated that the old list must not be passed and a fresh list has to be prepared.

After receiving information with respect to the allocation of additional houses under Basava Housing Scheme 2017-18, GTD also sought information in NREGA, drinking water projects, burial grounds, distribution of houses, schools and aganawadis in his constituency.

On hearing about problems in supplying drinking water to Shivashakthi Nagar located adjacent to Koorgalli, he asked the officials to supply drinking water using tankers and instructed the CESC officials over the telephone to supply electricity to the borewells within two days.

TP President Kalamma Kemparamaiah, Vice-President N.B. Manju, Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Standing Committee on Social Justice Chairman Beerihundi Basavanna, ZP Members Chandrika Suresh, Dinesh, Premakumari, Mahadevaswamy, TP Members Yoga Srinivas, Hanumanthu, Revanna, EO Lingarajaiah were present.