Villagers recall Dr Kishan with love...
NREGS skeletons come tumbling out of Kasom Khullen closet
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 06 2009: Inspite of the provisions to provide 100 days of work in a year to each household under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), villagers of Lairam Khullen in Kasom Khullen sub-division of Ukhrul district have been allotted work only for 28 days and received wages only for 21 days.

The implementation of the scheme started in Lairam Khullen in July last year along with approval of work programme to construct three roads and issuing 133 job cards to each of the 133 households in the remote village located around 100 kms from the district headquarters of Ukhrul.

However, even though the last fiscal year has expired and a new fiscal has started, the villagers have been given not more that 28 days of work as against the proposed guarantee of 100 days of work, the village authority has complained.

A sick child being cycled to a health centre on a cycle by her parents at a Kasom Khullen village

During the course of the interaction, the villagers also recalled the good work that Dr Thingnam Kishan had done while he was the SDO of Kasom Khullen by rectifying the irregularities in implementation of the developmental schemes in the area.

Moreover, out of 28 days of work allotted, job card holders were given wages only for 21 days and the wages for seven days is still due, according to the village authority, which also stated that villagers have come to know from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of the district that the fund for payment of wages to the job card holders had already been released.

Even if the villagers have not been allotted the requisite number of work days , they have performed extra work to ensure completion of the road construction works realising that development of the road transport system in the area would be to their own good.

For implementation of the scheme in the village, bank accounts have been reportedly opened in the name of the village chief and secretary at UBI, Ukhrul branch.

Another interesting fact which came to light during a recent visit is that the only primary school of the village which is functioning under District Council and having a total number of 85 students is being forced to close down atleast for some days every month as the teachers do not come to the school.

When this reporter visited the school some days back, it was found to be locked as no teachers had come to the attend to their duties.

According to the village authority, the teachers, however, do come for sure at the time of conducting the annual and half-yearly examinations.

As the rice quota of the school under Mid-Day Meal scheme is not being provided, the kitchen of the school has been standing as good as a haunted house with all the walls and the roof ready to fall down at any time.

Under the scheme, two plates, one kettle, one mug and two cooking vessels have been reportedly provided to the school.

It was also learnt that like other villages, Lairam Khullen had received one WLL Phone from the Government to help in communication.

However, as the WLL phone set could not catch the signal it is lying useless.

There is also no facility for power supply in the village which was earlier called Pen Hung by Karta Maharaj.

It was only recently that the village came to be known by its current name.

The Government had sanctioned fund for construction of an Anganwadi centre but the contractor has allegedly swindled the money.

The Government had also released the fund for construction of the building of a Primary Health Sub-centre.

But after dumping two truckload of stones and one truckload of timber there has been no progress in the construction work, the village authority informed.

During the course of the interaction, the villagers also recalled the good work that Dr Thingnam Kishan had done while he was the SDO of Kasom Khullen by rectifying the irregularities in implementation of the developmental schemes in the area.