In a significant judicial intervention, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a stay order on the recovery notices served to the residents of Kyao village, Rampur, by the Block Development Officer (BDO). These notices had demanded the repayment of disaster relief funds previously allocated to flood victims under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Disaster) scheme.
Justice Ranjan Sharma granted interim relief on February 19, acknowledging the need to protect the petitioners during the ongoing legal proceedings. The court declared, “The state authorities, including the Block Development Officer, Rampur, District Shimla, shall not effect recovery of the released amount to the petitioner, pursuant to the notice dated February 4, until further orders.” The court has requested a response from the state government within four weeks.
The controversy began after the BDO directed the residents to repay ₹1.17 lakh, which had been distributed among 17 individuals to aid recovery from the catastrophic floods of July 2023. The funds were disbursed in three instalments following assessments by local officials, acting under directives from Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. However, subsequent investigations by the BDO suggested that the recipients were ineligible for the funds, leading to the issuance of a recovery notice.
The affected villagers countered the BDO’s decision by filing a petition in the high court, arguing that the recovery was demanded without proper procedural adherence. According to their counsel, the notice was issued “without any prior show-cause notice, personal hearing, and was based on an inquiry conducted without the petitioners’ knowledge.”
The petitioners also asserted that they had not engaged in any fraudulent activities and had used the disaster relief funds solely for the intended purpose of repairing and reconstructing their damaged homes.
