MANGALDAI, Aug 25 - Though the BJP-led State government had promised a �zero tolerance policy against corruption� just after capturing the hot seat at Dispur, but in reality it has miserably failed in checking graft while implementing different government schemes, especially in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department.
In one specific allegation levelled by the Darrang district committee of the Krishak Sangha, an active farmers� body, it was evident how several lakhs of rupees of scarce public money was siphoned off by a corrupt nexus of officials and staff of the department, besides elected panchayat members by adopting fraudulent means.
Not surprisingly rather, higher authority at the helm of affairs remained totally unmoved by the charges.
According to a petition filed by the said farmers� body with the Deputy Commissioner of Darrang in June last, the concerned government agency adopted fraudulent means while implementing an MGNREGA scheme, i.e., �field development and boundary wall at No. 3 Thekerabari LP School for the year 2017-18 under Balabari Gaon Panchayat of Pub Mangaldai Development Block.�
It has been alleged that the dishonest nexus of government officials and elected panchayat representatives siphoned off the entire sanctioned amount of Rs 5.36 lakh since there does not exist any No. 3 Thekerabari LP School.
Talking to this newspaper, Mojafar Hussain, president of the district Krishak Sangha on Tuesday said, � There is a village named No. 3 Thekerabari, but no school by that name exists. The name of the school where the information notice board of the said scheme was installed is Niz Thekerabari LP School.� But the Headmaster and the school management committee of Niz Thekerabari LP School denied implementation of any such scheme within their campus.
In this connection, the Sangha on December 23, 2019 moved the BDO of Pub Mangaldai Development Block and demanded an inquiry. But as the BDO remained inert for more than six months, intervention of the Deputy Commissioner was sought through a similar petition on June 24, 2020.
However, even after two months having elapsed, no visible action has been taken by the supreme authority of the district.
The farmers� body therefore urged the Commissioner of P&RD for necessary intervention and exemplary punishment to the erring departmental officials, or else they resolved to move the PMO in this regard.
It is worth mentioning here that in order to check misappropriation of public funds under the directive of the Ministry of P&RD, the Govt of India�s Block-level vigilance and monitoring committee was formed with the concerned MLA and the BDO as chairman and member secretary respectively.
