Excelsior Correspondent
BHADERWAH, June 14: Secretary Pradesh Congress Committee Nadeem Sharief Niaz has demanded a judicial probe into the alleged lathicharge on the people protesting against massive embezzlement of funds under MGNREGA in Bhalessa area.
In a press statement here Mr Niaz has said that people from various areas of Tehsil Bhalessa have been protesting peacefully against RDD due to embezzlement of funds under MGNREGA scheme. The protest has been going on for the last many days and many political parties, NGOs, social organizations have participated in this protest. But today morning police arrested and baton-charged 15 activists. The Administration was trying to gag the public voice. The protesters had alleged misappropriation of funds during the year 2013-14/2014-15/ 2015-16. Though ACD Doda had given an assurance to clear the liabilities but still no step has been taken in this regard.
The quantum of irregularities can be gauged from the fact that instead of assuring justice by clearing liabilities, Government opted to baton charge people who were not only protesting for their rights peacefully but were also fasting.
The principal method of embezzlement in labour-intensive public works programmes is well known; muster rolls are inflated and middlemen pocket the difference. Before the Right to Information Act (RTI) came into force, muster rolls were beyond public scrutiny and the crooks had a field day. Things improved after muster rolls were placed in the public domain, But still administration is not properly implementing the scheme in a transparent manner.
Nadeem has demanded the State Government to initiate criminal proceedings along with departmental action against the officials found “guilty of embezzlement” of MGNREGA funds.
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