• All 33 DVC members received Rs 2 lakh each, claims fact-finding committee report
• DDGBA cries foul, urges DC to reconsider recommendation for termination of 11 GBs
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 29 (MExN): In a new twist, the fact-finding committee constituted by the Dimapur District GBs Association (DDGBA) has given a clean chit to the 11 GBs from Diphupar Village who have been alleged to have misused MGNREGS funds amounting to Rs 1, 10, 50, 000 (one crore ten lakh fifty thousand).
According to the report of the three member fact-finding committee which was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner & chairman DRDA, Dimapur, the 11 GBs were given only 2, 00, 000 each as ‘skilled labour wages’ amounting to a total of Rs 22, 00, 000 and not as alleged.
The same amount were distributed among all the 33 members of the Diphupar Village Council (11 GBs, 22 DVCM and DVDBM) totaling to an amount of Rs 66, 00, 000 and therefore the misuse of funds by the 11 GBs does not arise, the report claimed.
It also revealed that out of the said amount, Rs 23, 50, 000 and Rs 10, 50, 000 has been invested for the construction of multipurpose building and village cemetery boundary wall.
The report also stated that the DVC and DVDB selected 7 members along with the chairman to submit the remaining amount of Rs 1, 94, 52, 235 for submission to the Rural Development department. But the 8 members deducted another Rs 45, 52, 235 without the knowledge of the village council and submitted only Rs 1, 50, 00, 000 to APO, DRDA Dimapur, which the department is yet to deposit to the account of VDB Diphupar.
The APO in question is learnt to have resigned from his position in the department and is currently attached with a Minister in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
As the case progressed with intervention from the District Administration, the entire amount deducted from the MGNREGS fund released to Diphupar village by the DVC members were recovered from the members. However, the amount of Rs 1, 50, 00, 000 submitted to the APO, DRDA Dimapur is yet to be recovered, it is learnt.
Unhappy over the way the 11 GBs were targeted when all members of the DVC were involved, the DDGBA has apprised the Deputy Commissioner to reconsider the recommendation made to the Commissioner, Nagaland for termination of the 11 GBs while pointing out that all the 33 members of DVC, VDB and 11 GBs in question has taken same amount on the pretext of allowances for two years as ‘skilled labour wages.’
The DDGBA also sought to know whether such deduction of 30-40 % village development funds is permissible under the MGNREGS Act. If not, all deduction done by the department against the village development fund should be re-deposited to respective VDBs account with effect from 2005-06 so that development activities would be taken up as per rules laid down in the Act, the DDGBA demanded.
The DDGBA also hinted that it may seek legal recourse for the interest of village development under Dimapur district.
