Top News Report
KISHTWAR, May 20: Senior National Confrance NC Leader Ajeet Bhagat said that the much touted about Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme has failed to provide succor to its beneficiaries as payments worth over Rs 200 crore for mason and material have not been released for the year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 till date for the reasons best known to authorities at the helm of affairs.
Bhagat said that the unnecessary delay in release of payment has led to a lot of public resentment as the basic purpose of the scheme to provide 100 days employment guarantee to people in rural areas has been totally killed. Bhagat said that the people who worked on the schemes in different parts of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir are now running from pillar to post for release of payments but to no avail as the authorities at the helm of affairs don’t pay heed to their woes and pleas, but the Government still did not take any step in releasing the same and provide succor to the people who worked on the scheme,
What has irked the people and led to the brewing resentment among them is that the Government withheld the payment on the pretext that the MGNREG Act has been violated in the year 2016-17 and 2017-18 while executing the development works in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhagat said that the Government asked all concerned DCs to hold the investigation and submit the report but much to the chagrin of the hapless people who worked on these schemes the report has not been submitted by the concerned DCs till date.
Bhagat said, adding the callousness on the part of authorities has put the people who worked on these schemes to lot of problems and economic hardships.
Bhagat said if the irregularities were made in the construction of works by defying the rules or Act but that is not the fault of labourers or masons who worked on these schemes in the different parts of the erstwhile State.
Bhagat said that the irregularities were made by officers concerned and for the same the laborers can’t be made to suffer by withholding their payment,
Ajeet Bhagat said as per Act 60 percent should be labour component while 40 percent should be material component in execution of works under MGNREGA. But irregularities were made by BDOs, ACDs and Executive Engineers concerned.
Bhagat said if any officer gave approval to 90 percent material and 10 percent labour component for that the labourers can’t be held responsible and put to problem.
Bhagat said the BDOs under the Act are empowered to sanction the works amounting upto Rs two lakh while ACDs is authorised to sanction up to Rs five lakh. Till Technical Sanction (TS) is not accorded by the Departmental authorities the work can’t be executed,
Bhagat said that the liabilities are pending since then, putting the people who worked on these schemes to lot of trouble, Bhagat said that the people are so desperate after not getting payments till date that some have sold their land and others the ornaments of their wives to feed themselves but none bothered for their plight.
Ajeet Bhagat said that the peculiar situation has taken place in blocks of Chenab Valley Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts where BDOs totally defied the Government instructions asking Executive Engineer Rural Engineering Wing (REW) to hold physical verification of works. But the same could not be done due to the non cooperation of concerned BDOs who totally defied the orders forcing the Executive Engineer in his capacity as chairman of the Verification Committee to seek intervention of District Development Commissioners of Chenab Valley.
Delaying the verification and non compliance of orders by BDOs has blocked the payment of the labourers and masons who are making daily rounds of concerned offices but to no avail.