TURA, Aug 25: Social activist from Tura Cherian Momin has sought an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of project funds by the VEC President and Secretary at Nameram Village in North Garo Hills, an issue which remained long pending despite the filing of an FIR on the matter.
“As per the records, an inquiry order was initially issued in December 2023 by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mihali Chandra, assigning the investigation to PTD Sangma. Unfortunately, no inquiry was conducted during that period. Later, in June 2024, an inquiry order was reissued, assigning it to Leena Daring, Additional Deputy Commissioner. However, as of today, the inquiry remains pending,” Momin said, in his complaint.
According to Momin, the situation became critical, as an FIR was filed on November 24, 2023, with the Officer-in-Charge of Kharkutta Police Station by a job card holder named Pillip Marak where he alleged the misappropriation of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) intended for the construction of a CC Pavers Block Road at Nameram village. As per the FIR, Rs 5 lakh, meant for skilled and semi-skilled labourers, including wages for job card holders was misappropriated by the VEC leaders and their family members.
“When questioned by the job card holders, the VEC Secretary falsely claimed that no wages had been sanctioned for the semi-skilled labourers. However, an RTI revealed that the Secretary had misrepresented the facts, providing a misleading copy of the relevant documents. Despite a complaint being made to the Block Development Officer (BDO), and an inquiry being conducted on November 2, 2023, which directed the Secretary to pay the outstanding wages, no payments have been made to date,” Momin said.
Momin recalled that after the matter was brought to the attention of the authorities, the father of the VEC Secretary engaged outside laborers to complete the pending work on the project, ignoring protests from the job card holders.
He added that additionally, serious charges of forgery were also raised, with claims that the signatures of job card holders appeared on the attendance sheet without their consent or knowledge.
“The misappropriation of funds, coupled with forgery and other malpractices, is a serious violation that undermines the integrity of government schemes meant for the welfare of the people. I trust that you will take immediate steps to address this issue and hold those responsible accountable,” He said, while demanding an immediate inquiry into the matter.
