Morung Express News
Dimapur |January 20
The Diphupar Community Chairmen Forum (DCCF) and Fact Finding and Action Committee (FFAC), have expressed resentment against the lackadaisical attitude of the district administration to alleged misappropriation by the Diphupar Village Council (DVC) and an ex-VDB secretary.
According to the DCCF and FFAC, the DVC and ex-VDB secretary had allegedly siphoned off more that Rs. 4 crores of the village development funds including MNREGA since 2017 and that repeated pleas and representations to the district administration to resolve the issue had fallen on deaf ears so far.
Addressing a joint press conference on Monday, executives and members of the DCCF and FFAC alleged that in 2017, VCMs (village council members), GBs and VDB management committee had misappropriated Rs. 1, 10, 50,000 (Rupees one crore ten lakh and fifty five thousand) meant for village development. The alleged misappropriation included distribution of Rs. 2 lakh each amongst 33 members of then DVC, GBs and VDB members.
After the DCCF filed a complaint, the EAC Chümoukedima in an interim order dated April 30, 2018, declared the disbursement of Rs. 2 lakh each amongst the VCMs, GBs and VDB members as “defective as it amounts to misuse of power for personal gain.”
The EAC in the order, copies of which were furnished to the media, also directed all VCMs, GBs and VDB management committee members to “individually refund and deposit Rs. 2,00,000/- (Rupees two lakh) only, to the Office of EAC Chümoukedima within 30 (thirty) days, which shall thence be deposited into the account of Diphupar VDB account.”
However, instead of refunding the amount individually, DCCF and FFAC alleged that DVC deposited Rs. 66 lakh by siphoning the amount from the VDB fund, thereby doubling the figure of misappropriation of fund.
To resolve the issue amicably within the village, DCCF said on April 15, 2019, a general body meeting (GBM) convened by DVC appointed auditors to audit the financial accounts of income and expenditures of DVC. But, when the auditors tabled their findings in the subsequent GBM of DVC on July 2, 2019, DVC did not allow the report of the auditors to be completed alleging that the report was biased, DCCF members told media persons.
Thereafter in the said GBM, FFAC members were selected and it was decided that the “findings and recommendations of the FFAC would be final and binding.”
The FFAC submitted its final findings to the DVC on August 24, 2019. According to DCCF and FFAC, the total misappropriation of village funds is more than Rs. 4 crores.
On November 2, 2019, the DCCF, FFAC and auditors lodged a joint complaint to the EAC Chümoukedima, urging the latter to take appropriate action against “DVC and ex-VDB secretary and colleagues”, as despite the findings and recommendations of the FFAC, DVC and ex-VDB secretary remained adamant and that there was no likelihood of resolving the issue within the DVC and GBM.
In response, EAC Chümoukedima in a letter to DC Dimapur dated November 4, 2019, said the joint complaint had “been duly examined and observed that the case is in the jurisdiction of the MGNREGA Ombudsman, Dimapur District, as mandated under section 30, schedule 1 of MGNREGA Act.”
“After this, we approached DC Dimapur four times…first on November 16 last year. On our second visit the same month he said he was busy and completely forgot our appeal. On our third visit, he just said he will see to our representation. Finally, when we approached him the fourth time in first week of January this year, the DC said he had already endorsed our case to EAC (Sadar)”, DCCF said.
Again, when DCCF approached EAC (Sadar), they were told that their appeal would to be taken up by SDO (Sadar). “The SDO (Sadar) assured us that he would call both parties and solve the case within one week. But now it’s more than two weeks and nothing has been done”, DCCF said.
Decrying the attitude of the district administration, a DCCF member said, “If the district authorities neglect and cannot solve a village complaint, then we wonder what they can do for Dimapur district as a whole.”
