SHILLONG, Aug 6: In spite of the tall claims of the Meghalaya government that the state has been performing exceptionally well in terms of implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) project, the ground reality rather appears to be in stark contrast.
Material liability amounting to several crores is what the government is said to owe to the suppliers. The delay in releasing these payments is as such that suspended Congress MLA from Nongpoh, Mayralborn Syiem, has sought the intervention of the Centre to release the funds.
Raising concern over the non-payment of material components, the suspended Congress MLA said, “We have seen that village employment councils (VECs) have started their work and the payment for the material component has been pending.”
“The liability is so much within all the VECs where I found the vendors who have to provide materials for this particular work that has been tasked for every VEC they are in trouble as they are not getting their dues on time,” he added.
Citing that in Umling C&RD Block, which has a liability of around Rs 15 crore, only Rs 2-3 crore is paid, he said, “When will they pay (the rest of the amount) as most of the VECs have not been paid. The issue is that all the VECs are crying now as the material components have not been paid.”
“I urge for speedy intervention of the central government for release of the funds to pay the VECs,” he added.
It may be recalled that opposition Chief Whip George B Lyngdoh had earlier during the Assembly session mentioned that material liabilities to the tune of a whopping Rs 342 crore is what the Meghalaya government owes to suppliers under the MGNREGA projects in the state.
Lyngdoh had said that the burden carried by the suppliers is huge.
