Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 21: A complaint about a purported fraud under National Rural Employee Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was handed over to the zilla panchayat chief executive officer and the NREGS ombudsman recently, about irregularities committed in five works in Harekala gram panchayat, bills for which were claimed under NREGS.

Prima facie, the Harekala gram panchayat officials, in connivance with some panchayat members, swindled over two lac rupees under the said scheme by creating record of works which were not executed. NREGS ombudsman, Sheena Shetty, led a team of taluk panchayat executive officer, Vishwanath aPoojary, ombudsman technical officer, Sanjeeva Nayak, NGO representative, Krishna Moolya, and others to the village. During the visit by the team, over 50 villagers explained about the irregularities. The ombudsman revealed that this was the first village where bills were claimed without executing works, unlike some previous complaints where part of the funds were misused by some gram panchayats. Adding that some accused have confessed to their guilt, he said the amount spent will be recovered from the guilty.

Zilla panchayat chief executive officer, K N Vijay Prakash, said that an inquiry into the allegations has been ordered, and that action against the guilty if any, will be taken after submission of the inquiry report.

The villagers said that no labourer was engaged for some works, and records were created about purchase of materials and hiring of labourers for the works. In one case, bill was prepared in the name of an anganwadi teacher, who was on duty during the period she purportedly worked for a project.

Democratic Youth Federation of India leader, Rafiq, said that fake bank accounts have been created, and walls had not been set up with details of works executed, although it is mandatory. He revealed that some panchayat members too are unaware that such things were happening in the gram panchayat.

This issue was raised at the general session of the gram panchayat held on Tuesday September 20, after which there was a fight between the ruling and opposition members. An opposition member, in a complaint filed with Konaje police station, said that a member of the ruling party had tried to assault him with a chair, upon which he boycotted the session.