KOLKATA: Over 75% of relief claims were found to be false in the ruling Trinamool Congress citadel East Midnapore district in West Bengal where there have been a flood of complaints regarding irregularities in disbursal of the Amphan relief. 

This startling revelations come even as Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee warned  the rank and file of her party of taking strong action if they are found involved in irregularities. In East Midnapore, around 2.11 lakh applications were received of which 1.45 lakh were rejected because the claimants were found not to be affected by Cyclone Amphan that wreaked havoc in eastern India in May.

Similar irregularities were noticed in South 24-Parganas, West Midnapore, North 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts. At many places, elected members of gram panchayats and party satraps were caught red-handed diverting the government fund to the bank accounts of their relatives and family members. The TMC high command already expelled 18 gram panchayat members and show caused several hundreds.

‘’The government wanted to ensure not a single affected person is deprived of the compensation package. Accordingly, people were asked to submit applications on August 6 and 7,’’ said East Midnapore district magistrate Partha Ghosh. “In East Midnapore district, around 2,11,000 applications were received and after inquiry, 1,45,515 applicants were found not eligible.”