FIR against pradhan

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb 8: The district administration has finally decided to lodge an FIR against the panchayat pradhan and other office staff of Olionda gram panchayat in Chanchal block after detection of gross irregularities in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). The nodal officer for implementing NREGS in Malda, Mr Ranjit Kumar Mandal, has been instructed to ask the block development officer about the decision to lodge an FIR with the police against the chief of the gram panchayat and other persons involved in the scam. It was alleged that a total of 529 job cards of the registered labourers were undistributed. The gram panchayat chief did not distribute the job cards to the labourers despite several reminders from the district headquarters. A few days ago the district administrative officials started enquiry and found that 50 job cards out of 529 had been used in a particular NREGS plan. According to Mr Mandal, the gram panchayat had used the 50 names of labourers in the master roll based on the job cards using its number, which were under their custody and made the payment by falsely putting thumb impressions. The investigation revealed that the panchayat members put thumb impression falsely and many of the thumb impression were similar to others. Based on the investigative report of the government officials, the additional district magistrate (general) has decided to lodge an FIR against culprits for malpractice and forwarded the file to the district magistrate yesterday. A total of 45 complaints were lodged related to NREGS in Malda district. In order to avoid such irregularities and to check deprivation of poor labourers from their 100-days job and its remuneration, the government has planned to make the payment to labourers through banks and post offices. According to the additional district magistrate (general) Mr PC Shit, the Ratua Block has opened 250 bank and post office accounts for the registered labourers and job cardholders for the payment of 100-days job. It was decided that the block development officer would take initiative to open bank or post office accounts for the labourers, at least one gram panchayat in each block.Today, the CPI (ML) Liberation protested against on going 100 days job, which was allegedly executed under a contractor at Bardanga village under Salaidanga gram panchayat in Gazole block, violating government direction. #