Ramachandrapuram, Oct 20th: Four Cabinet Ministers, who participated in the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) general body meeting here on Tuesday, warned that the government would take stern action against erring officials who found deceiving the innocent tribals. They asked officers to expedite their inquiry against such officials and give their report to the higher authorities concerned. District in-charge Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that four major issues came to his notice in seven mandals of the Agency and inquiry reports were waiting. Among them, serious allegations came to his notice in Rubber Plantation Scheme and the Joint Collector was asked to probe into it.

Housing scheme

With regard to alleged misuse of funds in PHCs, the State government had already appointed a committee to look into the matter. When Rampachodavaram MLA Satynarayana Reddy raised the issue of misappropriation of funds in housing scheme in Maredumilli mandal, the Minister asked the concerned to place the assistant engineer under suspension and recover the amount from him. Responding to Rajya Sabha member T. Ratnabai’s query, Minister for Tribal Welfare Balaraju asked the authorities concerned to send proposals for Rs.22 lakhs to repair 250 bore pumps. Mr. Balaraju also announced that the government sanctioned Rs. 200 crores for Agency roads.