![Villagers from Kalaban area of Mendhar staging protest against RDD on Monday. — Excelsior / Rahi Kapoor Villagers from Kalaban area of Mendhar staging protest against RDD on Monday. — Excelsior / Rahi Kapoor](https://cdndailyexcelsior.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/page3-25.jpg)
Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, Nov 29: People of Kalaban, Faizlabad area in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district held protest demonstration against the Rural Development Department (RDD).
According to the information received here, the protesters accused the officers of the Rural Development Department, BDO Mendhar and ACD Poonch, of depriving Prime Minister’s Awas Yojna (PMAY) Scheme of the Government of India, to the deserving people.
They said the benefit was to be given to those families who are poor and those who have Kutcha houses, but when the list was issued by the RDD authorities, there was no name of any poor and deserving person from Kalban- Faizlabad area. During the demonstration, people raised slogans against ACD Poonch and BDO Mendhar.
Local Sarpanch Mohammad Taj said that in his Panchayat in 2011 the names of four families were given, after which the secretary Panchayat of the Rural Development Department told that they should keep those people who are in dire need of house, but despite forwarding most deserving people, the names were not in the list. Taj accused the district officer of the department, ACD Poonch of removing the names.
The villagers raised the demand for an inquiry by the District Development Commissioner Poonch and the Lt Governor of the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory regarding their demand. The villagers further alleged that even those people who had severe disabilities could not get the benefit of this schemes.