IAY payment delay leaves Rafiabad resident in lurch

Baramulla, Oct 6: In a tale of frustration and dashed dreams, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, a resident of Braman Rafiabad in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, has been left in the lurch as he struggles to receive sanctioned payment under the Indra Awaz Yojana (IAY).

Mir, a father of five children, had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to repair or construct his home under this central government-sponsored housing scheme.

Fayaz Ahmad Mir’s name appeared as the 34th beneficiary on the list of IAY recipients issued by the Block Development Officer of Rohama on June 26.

While all the beneficiaries had already received their sanctioned payments, Mir found himself running from one office to another, desperately seeking the release of his funds, without any explanation for the delay.

Expressing his frustration, Mir said, “All the beneficiaries have been granted their sanctioned payments, but I am deliberately being denied the amount, with no clear reason given.” His family resides in a dilapidated dwelling, and he had hoped to start construction on a new home.

However, the unnecessary hurdles have cast a shadow on his dreams, especially as winter approaches.

“For the last three months, I have been approaching the concerned officials, including the Block Development Officer and the Village Level Worker (VLW), but each time, I am redirected to yet another official,” Mir said.

When contacted the Block Development Officer Rohama, Abdul Rashid, acknowledged the case’s sanction in favor of Fayaz Ahmad Mir. However, he cited issues with the online submission of documents as the cause of the payment delay.

“There is an issue with the online submission of the beneficiary’s documents. We are actively working on resolving it, and once the issue is rectified, the beneficiary will receive the necessary payment,” assured BDO Rohama.

However, Fayaz Ahmad while expressing his frustration said if the fault lies with the office, why “I should suffer so long.’’

“Isn’t three month enough for the office to resolve the issue pertaining to online submission of documents?” asked Fayaz.