JOWAI: Around hundred beneficiaries of various schemes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at Ummulong in West Jaintia Hills have alleged that they have not received their payments despite participation in various kinds of work under the scheme.
This correspondent visited Ummulong to verify the facts against various allegations against the VEC Secretary and the headman and was informed that some beneficiaries have got their wages without working while those who were actively participating in various kinds of construction work were not paid.
Villagers of Ummulong have been fighting for their rights against the alleged anomalies such as non-payment and over payment of wages by the VEC to beneficiaries during the implementation of various schemes under MGNREGS.
It was found that the muster roll was not signed by the beneficiaries and it was suspected that the VEC had manipulated the payment system while implementing the schemes in the village. Following inspection of RTI documents it was found that the muster roll was never signed by any beneficiaries. Interestingly, the previous block development officer of the Thadlaskein C&RD Block approved the payments as submitted by the Gram Sevak. The then BDO who approved the payment based on the unsigned muster roll released huge amounts of money to the VEC Secretary by way of cheques.
The cheques along with the lists of jobcard holders were issued to the branch manager of the Meghalaya Co-operative Bank, Ummulong branch with a direction to transfer the amount of wages to the beneficiaries’ accounts. But the manager failed to transfer the amount as per the muster roll submitted. “I was supposed to receive Rs 2119 in my bank account as per the list submitted by the VEC Secretary but I had never received any amount till date”, said one of the beneficiaries”. “I had stopped participating in the work but my name was still listed in the payment list (muster roll)”, she added.
The villagers suspected that the bank manager, the BDO along with the VEC Secretary had manipulated the payments. “If there is no manipulation, how can the BDO approve the muster roll when there is no signature of any beneficiaries in the attendance records (muster roll). The bank manager has also failed to transfer the amount in accordance with the list submitted to the bank along with cheques.
“Many of us did not get our dues though we have actively participated in the work”, said a lady.
Interestingly, the bank manager has transferred an amount of Rs 24013 to the account of one Rosida Paslein on June 02, 2016 and the same was withdrawn the next day. “She had work only for 28 days and received a huge amount as wage”, said a lady beneficiary who had lodged a complaint with the BDO and the DC.
The FKJGP district president Tuesday Lytep informed that the headman along with the VEC also deprived and violated various rights of the family members who had raised their voices against the improper implementation of the MGNREGS in the village.
