RTI petitioners allege official apathy
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 26 2011:
Three individuals who sought information on alleged denial of wages to MGNREGS workers hailing from Khergao Awang Leikai have accused officials concerned of
double standard.
Airing their plight to some newspersons today, MA Rahman (48), Md Makbool Hussain (51) and Md Jaheruddin (52) of Khergao Awang Leikai contended that their complaints with regard to various anomalies in both executing MGNREGS-related works and payment of wages were declined by officials of BDO Office and DRDA of Imphal East district.
While employees present at these offices refused to accept their complaints under the RTI Act with the contention that the employees are on ceasework strike in compliance with the JAC agitation, official procedures concerning pay bill or issuance of birth certificates were processed during the same period, the trio claimed.
Ironically the employees' refusal to acknowledge complaints on NREGS anomalies contradicted their very own JAC strike stand as it was spotted that NREGS bill-related files were swiftly processed, they spurned RTI petitioners disclosed.
Further stating that their intention to personally meet the Block Development Officer (BDO) or DRDA Executive Engineer also did not materialised as the incumbents were not in the office.
Confiding that 15 persons from Khergao Awang Leikai had filed individual complaints seeking verification of the MGNREGS works, execution of assigned tasks, lack of quality control and other relevant details, the three maintained that two of the complaints have been threatened on phone for filing the complaints in addition to the unknown callers insisting that 10 each mobile phone handsets be provided as penalty for their audacity to affront implementing agencies of MGNREGS works.