Hooghly's villagers lock TMC office over nepotism in PHE project hiring

A controversy has emerged in Kulia, under Nokunda Gram Panchayat in Goghat, over alleged nepotism in the recruitment process for the Public Health Engineering (PHE) water project. The dispute began when it was revealed that the panchayat head’s son, along with three individuals from his village, were selected for the project. This sparked protests from villagers and party workers, who claimed that the recruitment process was biased, as no one from Kulia village had been hired.

The protest, which started early in the morning, saw a number of local women workers gathering in front of the Trinamool Congress party office, demanding an explanation for the perceived favoritism. According to the protestors, the recruitment should have prioritized local candidates from Kulia, but instead, jobs were given to people from Nokunda village, including the panchayat head’s son and his associates. In a dramatic response, the protestors locked the party office to register their dissatisfaction.

Key political figures in the area have also spoken out against the allegations. Shivprasad Roy, a member of the local panchayat, expressed his disapproval of the alleged nepotism, stating that such actions would not be tolerated if proven true. Shyamali Ghosh, the child and women’s welfare officer for Goghat Block 1 Panchayat Samiti, also criticized the recruitment process, asserting that transparency and fairness must be maintained in all local projects.

Panchayat head Bablu Santra has categorically denied the allegations, insisting that the recruitment process was carried out in a fair and transparent manner. He further stated that the hiring decisions were based on merit and denied any preferential treatment for his family members or associates. Meanwhile, Shashanka Dhak, the regional president of Trinamool in Nokunda, addressed the issue, claiming that the situation was a misunderstanding and that there was no attempt to exclude local candidates or ignore the concerns of the villagers. The controversy has sparked widespread discussion on the need for transparency in recruitment practices and governance at the local level.