Vigilance raids village offices across Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vigilance director Loknath Behera has ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities at Chembanoda village office at Perambara that led to the suicide of a farmer. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) also conducted raids at selected village offices across the state on Friday in the wake of the incident. Mr Behera also instructed the VACB to conduct surprise checks at village offices at frequent intervals in view of allegations that corruption was rampant in them.

Mr Behera told this newspaper that a comprehensive probe would be conducted into the alleged irregularities in accepting the land tax from farmer Thomas alias Joy. The Vigilance officials already started the probe, he said. A statement from VACB said that surprise checks were conducted at 32 selected village offices across the state. At most of the village offices it was found that large number of applications were kept without any entry in registers as well as inordinate delay in delivering various services.

The surprise checks at Vattiyoorkavu, Pettah, Karakulam and Malayankeezhu village offices it was found that 135 applications for mutation of land were pending for a long time without  any specific reasons. Massive irregularities were detected at East and Meenad village offices in Kollam. At Mannancheri, Chambakkulam and Kalavoor village offices in Alappuzha 157 applications were found to be pending for long time without any reasons. Massive irregularities were also found at many village offices in Kozhikode and Malappuram district, said the statement.