Meghalaya: Residents of Mawrang village allege misuse of MGNREGA scheme

NONGSTOIN:

Residents of Mawrang village (Block III), in Rambrai under West Khasi Hills District, alleged the village authority for misusing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in the village.

“Through the social audit we came to know that MGNREGA schemes are being misused in the village and are being manipulated by the VEC members,” said one of the job cardholders.

The residents said that they had sought clarification from the VEC members, however; they were being informed that the auditors tried to mislead the villagers.

The villagers also alleged that the VEC members never assigned work to the job card holders even when they wanted to work, but giving them excuses that the work has been allotted to the contractor (subcontract).

“Till date, there have been no developmental works implemented on Block III, not even a footpath,” Shimti Sohshang said.

During the lockdown period almost all the job card holders from the village withdrew their money from their respective bank accounts for their personal use, however, the VEC members asked the job cardholders to return the money to them, Sohshang added.

“When we refused to return the money, the village authority threatened to block all the developmental schemes available for us and forcefully neglected that Block III falls under Mawrang village.”

The job card holders from Mawrang village (Block III) approached the office of the Block Development Officer, Nongstoin C&RD Block, to file a complaint against the VEC members.

Block Development Officer C. P Mawkon said that the matter is now under enquiry.