The West Bengal government has mandated a re-verification of the beneficiary list under the Banglar Awaas Yojana (BAY) amid widespread protests over alleged corruption and favoritism in the distribution of financial assistance for housing construction. Residents from areas including Sonaijuri and Manbazar in Purulia, Andal in West Burdwan, Goghat in Hooghly, Patharpratima in South 24 Parganas, and Rampurhat in Birbhum have raised concerns, claiming that eligible beneficiaries were removed to favour individuals with connections to local leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The protests, which come just ahead of next month's by-elections for six assembly seats, highlight escalating tensions over the issue.

On Tuesday, protesters in Sonaijuri locked the local panchayat office, while in Goghat, villagers staged a demonstration outside the residence of a local TMC leader. Similar unrest unfolded in Patharpratima, where locals protested as officials conducted a house-to-house verification. Jahanara Mir, a resident of Raydighi in South 24 Parganas, voiced her frustration, claiming that individuals with existing concrete houses were listed as beneficiaries due to their connections with local TMC leaders.

“The local TMC leaders are mostly corrupt. I called up Didi ke Bolo [a platform for complaints directly to chief minister Mamata Banerjee].” Bharati Das, a resident of Andal, said she genuinely needed a house but was being deprived of it. “...names of those who have no need of another house and have large plots of agricultural lands are being included just because they are close to local leaders,” she said. Das added the walls of her hut were crumbling. “Someday I will get killed with my children when the mud walls collapse.”

In 2022, similar allegations were raised against local TMC leaders, leading to scrutiny that revealed funds were allocated to individuals, including family members of TMC leaders and associates of panchayat officials, who already owned houses and agricultural land. The resulting public outcry compelled the TMC to take disciplinary measures against certain district and panchayat leaders. Following reports of irregularities in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the Union government dispatched over a dozen investigative teams to the state in 2022 and subsequently halted PMAY funds to West Bengal in November of that year.

In February, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pledged that her government would construct 1.1 million houses for the economically disadvantaged if the Union government failed to release pending funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by April 1. The beneficiary list was finalised earlier this month, and officials initiated a house-to-house verification process last week.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed the list was full of errors. “This has become a huge business for a section of TMC leaders. They have got an opportunity... Earlier, the Centre stopped funds under the 100-day work scheme. Now the TMC leaders have got an opportunity again. Why should they leave this?”

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the Union government stopped funds and was depriving West Bengal. “The Mamata Banerjee government is releasing money to build houses for the poor. That is why the obstacles are being created.”

According to a government official, individuals are ineligible for assistance under the Banglar Awaas Yojana (BAY) if they own a concrete house, possess a motorised three or four-wheeler, use mechanised agricultural equipment, have family members employed in government jobs or earning over ₹15,000 per month, or own more than 2.5 acres of irrigated land. Sources indicate that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a closed-door meeting with ministers Pradip Mazumdar and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay at the state secretariat on Tuesday to address the ongoing concerns surrounding BAY beneficiary eligibility.

A panchayat department official said they have issued a directive to the district magistrates for re-verification of the rejected applicants. “Due to some misunderstanding and misinterpretation, undesired rejection of deserving households may have happened. The sole objective of the survey is not to deprive a single eligible household.”