A strange case of administrative negligence came to light in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, where two villages in different blocks share the same name — Mantriguda — allegedly causing one village to be deprived of several government welfare schemes for years, sources said on Monday.

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The issue has surfaced in Nandahandi block, where residents of Mantriguda village claim they have been neglected in the allocation of government housing benefits because another village with the same name exists under Nabarangpur block.

Villagers allege that while the Mantriguda village in Nabarangpur block has been receiving benefits under various government schemes, their village has been left behind due to confusion in official records and administrative oversight.

Ironically, the affected Mantriguda village is located barely one kilometre away from the Nandahandi block headquarters. Despite its proximity to administrative offices, the village continues to struggle without access to basic housing facilities. Most families in the village still live in fragile houses made of straw, tin sheets, or asbestos roofing, while permanent concrete houses remain a distant dream.

According to local residents, around 500 people live in the village, and a majority of them work as daily wage labourers. However, despite their poor economic condition, they have allegedly not received benefits under government housing schemes for nearly two decades.

Villagers further alleged that whenever housing targets are allocated for Nandahandi block, the benefits are mistakenly redirected to the other ‘Mantriguda village’ located under Nabarangpur block. As a result, not a single family in their village has reportedly received a pucca house under government schemes in the last 20 years.

Following growing complaints, the Nandahandi Block Development Officer (BDO) stated that he personally visited the village along with officials and conducted a survey regarding housing scheme eligibility. The officer assured residents that whenever new houses are sanctioned under future housing schemes, priority would be given to the affected village.

The bizarre incident has raised serious concerns over a lack of administrative coordination and proper record management in rural governance. Residents now hope that the long-standing confusion will finally be resolved and that deserving families will receive the benefits they have awaited for years.

“When the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana survey was conducted, we gave priority to that village. We started an awareness programme in that village, and we are surveying every house in that village by going door-to-door. To see how many houses are in that village, my team and I are personally visiting and surveying every house there,” Nandahandi BDO, Khirod Chandra Sahu, said when contacted.

“For the Pradhan Mantri Awas houses that will come in the future, we have not left a single house. We are trying to provide all types of benefits to the eligible beneficiaries so that no one is left out,” Nandahandi BDO added.