NONGPOH, Aug 7: The Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong Ri-Bhoi District will move the court against the state government for not releasing pending bills relating to the implementation of a project under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the district.
The Synjuk, an apex body representing the headmen of the district, has announced that it will file a public interest litigation (PIL) against the state government.
A decision towards this effect was taken after a meeting held at the Iewmawlong Community Hall. Village Employment Councils (VECs) from various villages of Jirang and Umling C&RD blocks attended it.
The decision on the PIL was announced by PB Sylliang, general secretary of the Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong Ri-Bhoi District, at a press conference following the meeting.
Sylliang expressed the Synjuk’s concerns over the perceived lack of seriousness on the part of the state government in the implementation of the MGNREGS project. He lamented that non-release of funds, particularly Project Management Cost money, over the past five years caused difficulties in executing the project.
He said while the government made payments to job card holders, payments for expenses related to materials have been pending for the past two years and this impacted the project’s implementation.
Sylliang opposed the government’s directive mandating online attendance registration for job card holders. He said the directive posed a challenge for remote villages lacking adequate network connectivity.
He argued that the government should address this issue before enforcing such orders. He suggested that the government should either improve network connectivity or return to previous offline mode of attendance registration.
Sylliang said the Synjuk has a plan to convene a meeting with VEC leaders from Umsning and Bhoirymbong C&RD blocks. He said the objective is to arrive at a unanimous decision regarding the PIL and consolidate efforts against the government’s alleged negligence in releasing pending bills.
