From Our Correspondent
TURA: A group of MGNREGA job card holders who were victimised by denial of pay for revealing the widespread corruption taking place inside Demdema block have taken the BDO and the corrupt village employment councils to the Lokayukta court in Shillong.
The victimised Job card holders from two villages under Demdema block of West Garo Hills, namely Nayagaon and Shialkandi, have filed two cases before the Lokayukta accusing their VECs of widespread corruption and the BDO Pitingson R Sangma of siding with the accused by refusing to take any action despite mounting evidence for many months.
“We have filed two cases this week with the Lokayukta seeking justice because there has been widespread corruption indulged in by the VECs and the BDO has refused to take action even after a government order directing him to file FIRs against the accused VEC secretaries and presidents,” informed Zakir Hussain, one of the petitioners to the Lokayukta.
According to the petitioners, there are close to a dozen corruption charges on MGNREGA works in Demdema block which were raised by them. With the BDO allegedly refusing to take action, the accused VEC leaders were emboldened enough to halt the release of wages for those who had raised a voice.
“We have undertaken several MGREGA works but have not received our dues. We are threatened by the VEC secretary and president for bringing to light the illegal transactions. This is why we are moving the court,” complained the petitioner.
The aggrieved villagers had brought to light the illegal activities of the VECs wherein money in the form of wages was withdrawn by the secretaries under names of people who had long died.
Wages were allegedly drawn in the name of 10 deceased people in Nayagaon and nine others in Shialkandi village.
The VECs reportedly also withdrew the wages belonging to 92 current job card holders from the two villages and when discovered and confronted they were threatened.
“We brought this to the notice of the BDO because money was not even being deposited into the bank accounts of the job card holders but he refused to act,” accuses the petitioners.
According to their complaint, while the accused VECs were deemed as suspended, yet, the BDO allowed them to withdraw money meant for wages.
Refusal by the block to conduct a fresh election to the VECs and holding of a public social audit galvanised the aggrieved villagers to knock on the doors of the Lokayukta court for justice.