Varanasi, May 1 (IANS): The District Magistrate (DM) of Varanasi has written to the Additional Chief Secretary (Rural Development and Panchayati Raj) with a request to clear the dues under MGNREGA scheme, following a threat by village heads to boycott work.

DM Kaushal Raj Sharma has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to clear the dues at the earliest to avoid problems in execution of works under the scheme.

The Rashtriya Panchayati Raj Gram Pradhan Sangathan, a body of village heads- has threatened to boycott the works of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), in the district against the non-payment of Rs 13.91 crore in heads of materials and labourers wages of 2021-22 financial year.

A delegation of RPRGPS led by its district chief Rakesh Kumar Singh met the Chief Development Officer to submit their charter of demands in which they threatened to stop the MGNREGA works in villages as non-clearance of past dues of material suppliers and labourers was increasing resentment.

They said that gram pradhans were facing awkward situation as labourers and those suppliers were staging sit-in at their homes.