'Lekhpal' issued a compensation cheque to a farmer who had died seven years ago

KANPUR: After Hamirpur, anomaly in distribution of compensation cheque now surfaced in Etawah district.
The `lekhpal' of Bharthna tehsil of the district issued a compensation cheque to a farmer who had died seven years ago.
According to details available, the authorities issued a cheque of Rs 1,800 to one Badan Singh, a native of Mudaina Malhausi in Bharthana tehsil, and who had died in the year 2007.
"My father passed away long time ago, but the cheque we received for compensation was in his name. We lodged a protest, as soon as the 'amin' gave us a cheque of Rs 1800 issued in the name of our dead father. After realising the mistake, the 'amin', however, asked us to refund the cheque for rectifying the error," said Rajesh Yadav, the only son of the deceased farmer Badan Singh, who had died on Jan 19 2007.
He further alleged that he had been making rounds of the District Collectorate to get the compensation cheque reissued in his name, but in vain. "Every time I went there, the concerned `lekhpal' refused and turned me away over one pretext or other," Yadav said further.
"Now I don't how long will it take to get an amount of Rs 1800. I want the authorities to reissue the cheque in my name at the earliest so that I get compensated against the crop loss," he added.
District Magistrate Nitin Bansal, while talking to TOI, however,said: "We have come to know about the anomaly, which happened in Bharthana `tehsil' of the district. We will conduct a probe and take appropriate action against the concerned `lekhpal'."
Pointedly, the cheques were to be given as a compensation to the farmers for the losses they suffered to their crop due to heavy rain and hailstorms in the month of March.
Etawah was one among the worst affected districts with the freak weather and farmers of where suffered major losses to their crop. The government in total has released 27 crore as compensation for the district.
It might be noted, in Hamirpur, the district authorities had issued a cheque of Rs 4800 to one Sukhrani, a native of Bahrela in Maudaha tehsil, and who had died in the year 2010.