J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Congress leaders seek probe
‘Misappropriation’ of Rs 4.88 lakh under MGNREGA scheme at Talwandi Fattu village
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, December 3
The allegations of misappropriation of Rs 4.88 lakh sanctioned under the MGNREGA scheme on the pretext of undertaking the work of desilting and earth filing of a pond measuring 4 kanal and 4 marlas at Talwandi Fattu village in the district during the past few years may not be a big scam, but a classic example of how the funds meant for providing employment opportunities as well as accelerating the pace of development at the grass-roots level have virtually been going into drain, consequently negating the objective as well as the spirit of the scheme.

Ravi Dutt Sharma, vice-president of the district Congress and Nimisha Mehta, state vice-president of the Punjab Mahila Congress and member of the District Vigilance Monitoring Committee, while talking to mediapersons here today, disclosed that during the tenure of the previous panchayat, a sum of Rs 2.65 lakh sanctioned under the MGNREGA was "spent" on desilting and then earth filling of the pond. The present panchayat had also "spent" a sum of Rs 2.23 lakh on desilting of the pond. But ironically presently the site of pond was being used as a parking spot for tractor-trailers, said the Congress leaders.

The facts and figures under the RTI Act had already been procured and if the authorities concerned continued to adopt dilly-dallying approach to shield the guilty, they would also knock the doors of the court to curb the misappropriation of the funds sanctioned under various Centre-sponsored schemes, they said.