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| Payments made against not existent works in Budgam | | RTI activists urge CVC to intervene | | Early Times Report
BUDGAM, Aug 28: The Rural Development Department is again in the dock for its inefficiency and mismanagement while implementing various Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The locals in Palpora village of central Kashmir's Budgam district have accessed information from Block Development Office (BDO) Budgam under Right to Information Act (RTI) a copy of which lies with Early Times that confirms that works shown executed on papers under MGNREGA and other schemes like Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) do not exist on ground.
RTI reply shows that a road has been constructed under MGNREGA during year 2011-2012 from Kargam to Moshi Bagh in Palpora area of Budgam block but the locals say that this is an R&B road and an amount of Rs 1.30 lakhs has been fraudulently withdrawn from Government treasury against this work by the local Panchayat and officials of BDO office Budgam.
Similarly another road from Kumar Mohalla to Banderpora has been shown constructed in the Palpora village under MGNREGA at a cost of more than Rs. 3.56 lakhs but the RTI applicant Farooq Ahmad Ganai alleges that this money too has been fraudulently withdrawn from the Government treasury as the work has not at all been executed. In addition, under Total Sanitation Campaign an amount of Rs 27000 has been shown provided to seventeen beneficiaries of Halqa Palpora but on the ground not a single lavatory has been constructed nor has the money been provided to them.
Senior RTI Activist and Founder -Convener of J&K RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that this matter must be independently probed by conducting a social audit in presence of media. "There is a provision of holding a social audit under MGNREGA scheme but hardly any social audit is held across the state due to non cooperation of Government Departments and lack of awareness among the people." He appealed the Chief Vigilance Commissioner to intervene into this matter.
RTI applicant Farooq Ahmad Ganai and other local residents of Palpora, Kargam and Moshi Bagh have also appealed the Government especially the Rural Development Minister DC to allow the locals to conduct a social audit in the area to ascertain the facts. "I have been moving from pillar to post to get this information from BDO office Budgam and the BDO provided me this information after more than three months as against 30 days and for this delay I will file another complaint in State Information Commission (SIC)" Farooq added.
Despite repeated attempts the ACD and BDO Budgam couldn't be contacted for their comments. |
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