Asking govt to apprise it about implementation of PM's and CM's relief package to farmers in Vidarbha, Bombay High Court expressed “shock” over cheque bounce
NAGPUR: Asking the government to apprise it about the implementation of the Prime Ministers’ and Chief Ministers’ relief package to the farmers in Vidarbha, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Friday expressed “shock” over the cheque bounce issue, in an apparent snub to the Maharashtra Government.
Even as the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Chief Minister’s office issued a clarification in the wake of the reports that a cheque of Rs10,000 released under the relief fund to a farmer’s widow Vandana Shende in Yavatmal had bounced for lack of funds, the high court bench observed that the matter was “painful to the Judiciary and society”.
Terming it a “very serious matter,” the high court bench of Justice Dilip Sinha and Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari directed the petitioner — Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti — to move a formal application with regard to the cheque bounce issue, as part of the Samiti’s public interest litigation (PIL) on farmers’ suicides.
The Yavatmal Collectorate meanwhile deposited a fresh cheque in the widow’s bank account earlier this week, following the embarrassing incident.
The court wanted to know from the government counsel whether the directions of the Bombay High Court on a similar petition and other orders of the Nagpur bench were being followed by the state government. The court wanted the state government to table the information before it within a week and also inform it whether the petitioners’ recommendations were also incorporated in the relief.
The court also directed the government counsel to apprise the bench if the website on the relief measures was also being updated regularly for public knowledge.
Meanwhile, the office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is reviewing the implementation of special packages and is expected to submit the preliminary findings within a month. Top sources in the CAG, Nagpur regional office, revealed to DNA that they were finding huge discrepancies in the use of funds.
The CAG inquiry into the package implementation assumes significance, given that the PM is likely to visit Vidarbha some time in the month of August.
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