Registered labourers protest to demand compensation

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 19: Registered labourers today staged demonstration in front of the Habibpur Block development office demanding compensation for job cardholders under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)."This is third time the CPI (ML) Liberation has organised the demonstration demanding compensation for those 240 registered labourers in Habibpur Block who did not get an opportunity for 100 days' job in their localities," Mr Indrajit Barman, former KPP leader, who has joined CPI (ML) Liberation recently, said.According to the NREGA, the job card holders will get compensation if the administration is unable to provide job within a stipulated time of 14 days after registering their names on demand.“The copy of the deputation submitted to the Habibpur Block development officer would be submitted to the district magistrate. If the administration does not take care of the registered labourers, we would go to the High Court demanding compensation from the government,” Mr Mrityunjay Das, the CPI (ML) district committee leader said. Though the CPI (ML) Liberation leaders had been demanding compensation for the registered labourers where the block authorities could not provide the job within a stipulated time, the administration had been able to manage the situation after agitation.“There was no such report where the administration had to pay compensation to the registered labourers due to failure in providing job under the NREGS”, Mr PC Shit, additional district magistrate, Malda said based on the progress report of NREGS in this district in two years.But it is true that the Malda administration could not implement the 100 days' job scheme in some gram panchayat areas in this district.In the last review meeting, it was revealed that two gram panchayats like Muchia and Sahapur under the Old Malda Block were the areas where the block authorities could not implement NREGS properly.The district magistrate has asked the Malda sub divisional officer to look into the matter of such areas including Old Malda Block areas.Earlier, the average number of days per household was 13.31 in 2006-07 and the average is gradually increasing to 15 days from this year in the district, according to an official report prepared by the district administration.The district officials also fear that the implementation of NREGS before panchayat elections will be affected more because the panchayat members would be busy with the polls.