By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In yet another case of anomaly in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the village employment council (VEC) has once again emerged as the manipulator of various projects of the Scheme.
After the VEC of Mawryngkneng, the VECs of four villages falling under Bhoirymbong area, Ri Bhoi district are alleged of manipulating the implementation of the central scheme including forging of signatures of the beneficiaries, disparities in the number of days for work and detaining the job cards of the beneficiaries.
The RTI activists, who are members of the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) informed that detailed information in the implementation of NREGS in four villages in Ri-Bhoi district under Bhoirymbong area— Mawtneng, Nongrim-Nongladew, Lumsohpieng and Lumdaitkhla was sought and it was then detected that a lot of irregularities in the implementation of the central scheme in all the four villages has taken place.
“In the muster roll workers at Lumsohpieng VEC, we found that some job card holders got only 30 days, and 50 days. But surprisingly, there are some people whose number of work days is 200.
The signature of around 18 beneficiaries was also forged,” job card holder from Lumsohpieng village Aiborlang Jyrwa told reporters here on Monday.
He said a complaint was lodged with police on October 14 this year against Sunday Morning Shadap the VEC chairman of Lumsohpieng and VEC secretary, Skalding Basaiawmoit but no action was taken till date.
FIR was also lodged against the chairman of Mawtneng VEC, Centre Barim, secretary, Worsing Sohïong, chairman of Lumdaitkhla VEC, T Marbaniang and secretary Micheal Tron and chairman of Nongrim-Nongladew VEC, Iaishah Marpan and secretary, Heronice Masharing.
Interestingly, after much discovery, instead of taking action against these VEC leaders, the government has only sent an Ombudsman of Ri-Bhoi district, T Malai to investigate but no report has been submitted till now.
The implementation of NREGS started in the four villages of Bhoirymbong area during 2008-2009 and the information through RTI was provided to the HNYF in March 30 this year after they sought detailed information on the implementation of the scheme in the area.The projects being implemented in the four villages include drinkingwater wells, footpaths, construction of kachha road.“The RTI documents revealed that money worth upto over Rs 1 crore has been withdrawn but not even a quarter of work was completed in the area,” the HNYF members alleged.
The HNYF activists threatened that if the report of the Ombudsman is not out by January 20 next year, they will decide their future course of action.