SHILLONG, OCT 14: The Meghalaya People’s United Front (MPUF) has sought the intervention of the state government into the alleged violation and misappropriation of funds sanctioned under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
“We demand the government to immediately intervene into the alleged gross violation and misappropriation of the flagship programme by the members of the village council in Jaintia Hills region,” MPUF president D Wanmi Laloo said in a letter to the chief secretary PBO Warjri on Tuesday.
According to RTI finding, it has revealed that a total amount of Rs 4.41 lakh has been mis-utilized by the a former secretary of the VEC of Nongkynrih village under Laskein Block in West Jaintia Hills District, Laloo informed.
According to the report, the government sanctioned a total of Rs 17.87 lakh for the construction of 4 kilometers road from Madanbol to Iongkbet in Nongkynrih village. The work order for the construction of the road was also issued on October 4, 2012.
Following a complaint filed by the chairman of the VEC Nowel Synnah to the authority concerned, Laloo informed that the C&RD department principal secretary KN Kumar issued order directing the former VEC secretary Limo Sayoo along with the complainant to refund the amount misappropriated by him which was to the tune of Rs 90,417.
The C&RD department has also given a month’s time for them to refund the amount.
“We protested against the order issued by the department as the amount misappropriated as revealed by the RTI report is much higher than the amount to be refunded,” Laloo said.
The MPUF also alleged that the VEC has also violated the guidelines laid by the NREGA act by engaging earth mover equipments in the construction work thereby depriving the job card holders of their benefits from the scheme.
“The VEC has also violated section 12, schedule 1 of the NGREG Act, 2005, by using machineries while implementing the scheme in the village,” Laloo argued. According to him, villagers who are job card holders have been deprived of their rights to benefit from the scheme, designed to provide employment to rural populace.
Laloo said the chief secretary has assured the delegation that he would convene a meeting on the issue soon.- By Our Reporter
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