AEC,VEC in Mawryngkneng Block accused of manipulating job cards
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: There’s a twist in
the tale over the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme at Mawryngkneng village after allegations by villagers that the Village Employment Council (VEC) is manipulating the job cards of many holders in that village.
These facts were uncovered on Wednesday when a job card holder (name withheld on request) alleged that despite the possession of a blank job card (she never attended work even once) the muster roll sheet showed her attendance at 42 days which is a clear case of forgery.
“There are similar cases like these which speak volumes of the function of the VEC in Mawryngkneng. They have manipulated the job cards of many poor and illiterate people who have no knowledge of their rights”, KSU Mawryngkneng Circle President Wallambok Kharsati said.
Kharsati also mentioned that until 2010, the job cards were in the possession of the Chairman and Secretary of the VEC but after much intervention, in 2011 some of the job cards were returned to the holders.
It may be mentioned that recently, Mawryngkneng village Sordar Klinton Kharsati had refuted allegations that the (Area Employment Council) AEC and VEC have misused the funds allotted for implementation of the NREGS.
But their claims about transparent functioning of the VEC and AEC is contradictory to the statements made by the job card holders of that village who claimed that for the past two years, no detailed reports of the overall expenditure has been provided to them.
Lack of responsibility on the part of the Chairman and Secretary of the VEC is evident from a letter sent by the Dorbar Dong Mawmang, Mawryn-gkneng to the VEC recently wherein they have demanded that VEC should hold a meeting of all the job cards holders in the village and that the VEC should also provide detailed reports on the expenditure on implementation of various schemes under the NREGS.
Interestingly, till date the Chairman and Secretary of the VEC have failed to respond to their demand. This has aroused suspicion among the job cards holders in that village.
Meanwhile, reacting to the statement of the Sordar Klinton Kharsati on getting the endorsement of the village Dorbar to implement this scheme with the help of the JCB in some motorable roads, the KSU president has alleged that no such Dorbar was called in the past two years. “Their (VEC) claim of receiving the consent of the village Dorbar is a lie as out of the 1200 job cards holders in the village, they got the consent of only 200 of them”, Wallambok said.
The union also mentioned that ever since the NREGS was introduced in Mawryngkneng, no social audit has been conducted till date to look at the income and expenditures for the implementation of various projects under this scheme. “Despite immense pressure to conduct social audit, the VEC members are resistant to the idea,” KSU Eastern Central President Peter Lawai said on Wednesday.
The union has exhorted the Block Development Officer of Mawryngkneng and the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills to intervene into the matter and to identify and punish all those involved in the abuse of the NREGS.