Disaster relief funds: Himachal HC stays recovery

The Himachal Pradesh high court has stayed the recovery notice issued by the block development officer (BDO), Rampur, seeking repayment of disaster relief funds from affected individuals in Kyao village.

Justice Ranjan Sharma on February 19 granted interim relief, saying, “The court, at this stage, is of the considered view, that the interim protection needs to be accorded to the petitioner.”

The high court said, “The state authorities, including block development officer, Rampur, district Shimla, shall not effect recovery of released amount to the petitioner, in pursuance to notice dated February 4 till further orders.” The high court has directed the state government to file a response within four weeks.

The petition was filed after the BDO, Rampur, directed the residents of the village to deposit ₹1.17 lakh released to the petitioners towards disaster relief.

The relief funds, disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Disaster) scheme, were intended to aid victims of the July 2023 floods in Rampur.

The amount was released in three instalments to 17 affected individuals after an assessment conducted by local officials, including patwaris and panchayat secretaries, under the direction of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. However, upon scrutiny, the BDO found that the recipients were allegedly ineligible for the scheme and issued a recovery notice on February 4 demanding repayment within 15 days.

Challenging this order, the affected individuals approached the high court arguing that the recovery notice was issued without due process. Their counsel contended that the notice was issued “without giving any prior show-cause notice, without affording a personal hearing, and based on an inquiry conducted behind the back of the petitioner.”

The petitioners further stated that they had not committed any fraud or misrepresentation and had utilised the funds for the repair and reconstruction of their damaged homes.

The state government has been directed to submit its reply within four weeks. The high court bench issued directions to list the case before the appropriate bench on March 25.