SC/ST panel registers case against HRDS for cheating and siphoning money

Complainants have alleged that HRDS constructed poor-quality houses to siphon money and stole land from poor helpless people.

Palakkad: The SC/ST Commission has registered a case against HRDS NGO, based on allegations of cheating and stealing land.

Complainants have alleged that HRDS constructed poor-quality houses to siphon money and stole land from poor helpless people. Swapna Suresh is now the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at the NGO, which is alleged to be pro-BJP.

S Ajaykumar, a member of the SC/ST Commission, said that the case has nothing to do with the appointment of Swapna Suresh in the NGO. Annually, Attapadi receives about Rs 350 crore as funds and most of the money flows through NGOs without the knowledge of the State government. He also added that the case has been registered based on complaints from people belonging to SC/ST community.

Demanding a detailed statement into money that flows through NGOs, Ajaykumar demanded that the state government should be the nodal agency to spend the money received through NGOs.

The NGO grabbed people's attention ever since Swapna Suresh joined as an employee. She is one of the prime accused in the gold smuggling case that rocked Kerala last year. The scrutiny by multiple parties increased even more as BJP S Krishnakumar is the chairman of the NGO

However, HRDS members say that Krishnakumar was recently removed from the post of chairman.

READ:Let me live: Gold Smuggling accused Swapna Suresh over controversies surrounding new job