Nasir Khuehami
The State Govt has failed to probe the RDD scam that surfaced in Watapora village of Bandipora District in North Kashmir Six Months ago.
The scam in RDD was surfaced in the Month of January this year where the officials have withdrawn the amount worth lakhs from scores of ‘bogus’ job cards under the centrally sponsored MGNREGA scheme.
Villagers of Watapora Bandipora told this Correspondent that despite passing of six months on, State Govt and Officials of rural Development Department has Failed to Probe in the Scam, they said, accusing officials of being hand in Glove with Political Well Connected Person.
“THe officials of Block Development facilitate the making of job cards in favor of their blue eyed persons to grab money meant for the poor,” they alleged.
People have raised eye brows against the RDD officials and Panchs for their huge emblezement in pouring the huge fund to their homes due to which Common masses Suffering.
Sources said that despite passing of almost Six Months, the Rural Development department has not ordered a probe into the matter. “Though the higher authorities in the Rural development department had assured the probe into the matter, but till date no formal orders were issued to initiate the probe,” sources told.
Locals said concerned Village Level Workers (VLWs) Panchs and Sarpanch are together making money out of this scheme. It was an utter shock for me when I came to know that I was enrolled for the work under MGNREGA. Even somebody else has taken the amount on my name, a local said.
He alleged that last year a job card was secretly issued under his name while the money was withdrawn on the name of local Panch’s son.
Villagers said the benefit under the scheme have mostly gone to well off individuals “who could feed feasts to the officers.”
Locals alleged that the person dealing with affairs of MGNREGA are either political workers or government employees. Money has been illegally drawn against fake land leveling and construction of bathrooms and roads. “The scam must be thoroughly investigated,” locals demanded.
When Contacted Director RDD Ganzanfar Ali, he was not available for his comments. Earlier a team headed by Director Rural Development Department Ganzanfar Ali visited the spot and took the details.
Earlier MLA Bandipora Usman Majid in Legislative Assembly raised the issue of RDD Scam and sought time bound Probe in Major Scam of MGNERGA which came to fore. There should be a thorough independent and completely dispassionate investigation into the Bogus Job Card scam within a time frame. Who so ever is involved in it is should be Dealt Strictly Usman told Speaker in LA.
