Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 11 2009:
The Chandel Tribal Youth Organisation has alleged that the District and Tribal Block officials in collusion with some vested village chiefs creating and recognising bogus villages to swindle huge amounts of money sanctioned NREGA.
A press release issued by the organisation's information and publicity secretary Sh Peter said that chiefs/headmen at the behest of respective SDOs/BDOs and ADC 370 bogus villages were given recognition under SDO/BDO Chakpikarong, 230 under SDO/BDO Khengjoi, 50 villages under Moreh ADC, 37 villages under SDO/BDO Tengnoupal and 46 villages under SDO/BDO Machi.
Amount sanctioned under NREGA for these bogus villages were shared between the Deputy Commissioner and staff ad village chiefs, it alleged.
While the concerned SDO/BDOs of the districts were paid Rs 30,000 per bogus village, the LDCs and Lambus were paid Rs 5000 each for verifying each bogus village.
The Chandel Tribal Youth Organisation urged upon the State Government to cancel all the bogus villages immediately and also enforce a stricter law for recognition of any village in future.
Denouncing the act of creating and recognising bogus villages by district officials in connivance with village chiefs/headmen, the youth organisation appealed to the State Government to constitute a special committee to investigate into this fraudulent practice so that the guilty officials and staff can be terminated at the earliest.
Failure on the part of the Government to de-recognise the bogus villages and terminate the culprits may result in any form of agitation, it cautioned.