VILLAGERS FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IN MGNREGS:
MGNREGS FUND SIPHONED THROUGH GHOST FARM PONDS IN ORISSA
By Purusottam Singh Thakur.
Hari Majhi is dead since long. He has been paid Rs.607.00. Nirekha Jagat,a paralysed man unable to move from bed for more than 7 years has been paid Rs.900.00. Nimesh Sunani, About 10 years old reading at Khariar in a school has been paid Rs.450. Similarly Takemani Bag, A student in a Khariar school has been paid Rs.950.00. Asha Jagat, more than 70 years old was paid with Rs.450.00. Kamu Bag, there is no one is in this name in the village or nearby. Tulu Bag, a student reading in class 5th. Dhaneswar Bag,no one in this name is found in this village.
And the family members of gaon sathi have not worked in the farm pond but have been paid lion’s share of the wage. This is just an example of manipulation in muster rolls in Mahatama Gandhi National Employment Gurantee Scheme in Nuapada district of Odisha. These MRs have made for the work of Dhusasan's farm pond.
The farm pond work of Dhusasan Bag of Jharsaram village of Birighat gram panchayat in Nuapada district in Odisha was started in 2007-08 with an estimated cost of Rs.35,000.00. The work was stopped after an expenditure of roughly 8 thousand. Where as the expenditure shown in the muster rolls and bills of payment is Rs. 32,260.00. But infact neither Hari Majhi who is no more in this world nor any one mentioned above have been paid practically. It was all shown in pen and paper.
And this is not the end of the story. The most startling story comes from the Kusmal village of Khariar block where theft of farm ponds under NREGS has been noticed when Khirasindhu Sagria, a social activist of the same village came to know this through a RTI ( Right to Information). In fact the Khariar block has spent more than Rs.2.13 lacs for the construction of 7 farm ponds in the private plots of 7 beneficiariesof Kusmal village during 2007-8 and 2009. But physically it has not been done. When the beneficiaries came to know this they complained about the matter to the concerned BDO and the district collector of Nuapada district. But no action was taken. Instead to cover up the truth the concerned Junior engineer with the help of the goons of Khariar town took an attempt to dig the ponds by using machines. This was stopped by the villagers and the machine was handed over to the police by the victims and villagers.
"I was staterled when I saw the Muster Rolls. A person named Chandan Sagria had worked in all the farm ponds on the same day. How is it possible?" asks Khirsindhu who had availed information on RTI.
Chandan is the brother-in-law of the Gram Sathi. The Gram Sathi and the J.E have identified 7 to 8 such persons to deposit the wages in their pass books and collect the money later after withdrawl.
"This has been the practice in NREGS all over the district. Name of non-working job card holders are entered in the MRs. Wages are deposited in their bank accounts. The Gram Sathi goes to the Bank with them and collect the wages from them after withdrawl. The booty is then shared amongst the officials involved in the implementation." says Ajit Panda a social activist working in the area.
"The BDOs, Assistant Engineers, Junior Engineers and even the DRDA chief are party to it." adds Ajit.
The procedures of NREGS are not adopted properly. Works are not started in time as per the procedures, payments are delayed. The provisions clearly mention that the works should be started within 15 days of the filing of job application by the job seekers and payments should also be made within 15 days of the completion of the work. But these provisions have not been followed anywhere the district. Villagers run from pillar to post to get work and their payment in time. The job applications are accepted when there is an instruction from the DRDA to start work. Payments have been delayed inveriably in all cases.
"Corruption in MGNREGS is rampent in Nuapada district. More than 50 percent of the farm pond in the district is non existant although expenditures have been made. Out of 10 crores estimated cost for Farm Ponds 4 crores have already been spent and out of this an amount of 2 crores have been manipulated by the corrupt officials." says Tapan Das - a local journalist.
When asked why there is no people's action, The villagers of Kusmal say, "the government officials devide us by bribing some of our people. We quarrel within ourselves, file cases in the police station and court and in the process the corrupt people take the benefit."
Registance against corruption is always supressed through threat on life and legal action by the contractors, corrupt officials and local politicians. The nexus is so strong that some times it is not possible for the common villagers to resist. The culprits in Kusmal have registered criminal cases of rape and snatching Mangal Sutra against Khirasindhu.
"I am not affraied because I am fighting for the rights of the people" says Khirasindhu.
"We are with Khirasindhu because he has unvailed the corruption and helped us fight with the system." say the villagers of Kusmal who are struggling for past 6 months to establish their rights.
The long struggle of the villagers have brought fruits. The matter has been highlited by the press and the administration was pressured to take action. Lobbing by social activists at state and national levels have resulted in inquiry by National level monitors of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. The Orissa government has initiated action against the government officials involved in the manipulation. "Even the PD, DRDA would not be spared" the Panchayati Raj Minister has said.
In the meantime the PR department in Orissa has taken action against two BDOs, ABDO and the AE for their involvement in ghost farm pond issue in Khariar block of Nuapada district in Orissa.The present BDO Nabin Chandra Naik and his predisessor Mr. Chita Ranjan Bangola, The ABDO, Mr. Bijaya Kumar Muduli and the Assistant Engineer Mr. Keshab Mahanty have been put under suspension. But so far no action has been taken against the PD,DRDA.
Action of the government against the corruption in Kusmal is ofcourse a welcome step. But the action should not stop at this. Such actions have to be widespread to make the NREGS an effective effort to address the issue of food security in an undevelopped district like Nuapada where more then 80 percent of the people are living below the poverty line and more than 30 percent of the house holds regularly migrate under distress conditions to various urban centres in the country in search of livelihood.
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