Imphal, April 30 2010: MLA of Lilong Assembly Constituency has been charged with misusing Rs 1.15 crores from the Local Area Development Fund meant for taking up developmental activities in the constituency.

Addressing a press conference jointly in this regard at Manipur Press Club here today, Social Workers' Club and United Clubs' Organisation, Lilong have also warned of taking recourse to various democratic agitation until the misused funds were provided for proper utilisation in the development of the constituency.

General secretary of Social Workers' Club Md Liyaqat Ali informed that the misuse of the developmental fund amounting to Rs 93 lakhs meant for 31 different sanctioned works during 20072009 have been confirmed through RTI.

Although the works related to development of roads, construction of community tank, community hall, community ground, river embankment, etc, are claimed to have been completed only on paper and the fund withdrawn, it has been detected that the works in question have not been executed or the quality have not been maintained, Liyaqat said.

He pointed out that a sum of Rs 1 lakh meant for construction of a community tank at Hangamthabi had been withdrawn claiming that the construction work was stated in August 2007 and completed in October of the same year.

However, there is no community tank in Hangamthabi.

Similarly, a sum of Rs 1.50 lakhs for the construction of a library building at Yangbi Leikai had with withdrawn but there has been no such library.

For the development of the road from Haoreibi Awang Leikai Zeenat Salam to Leihaokhong too, a sum of Rs 3 lakhs had been withdrawn.

But the work has been executed only in name sake, Liyaqat said.

On the other hand, in the selection of the beneficiary secretaries for the construction of the road, orders have been issued against the names of persons who are no more or the name an individual is featured in two different works, Liyaqat said.

Apart from seeing no sign of any development work, the amount of Rs 4 lakhs which had been withdrawn in connection with construction of the road from Wangkhem Leirak to Asem Leirak as well as strengthening of the embankment was in the name of Ayub Khan, a son of the MLA who passed away in 1995, Liyaqat pointed out.

Contending that the claim utilising Rs 93 lakhs from out of the total Rs 1.15 crores sanctioned to the MLA under his Local Area Development Fund is false as there are no sign of the works executed properly, he also said that where the rest of the developmental fund have gone too is not known.

Corroborating the charges against the MLA, general secretary of Lilong United Club Organisation, Lilong Md Islamuddin pointed out that a sum of Rs 2.60 lakhs which was supposed to be disbursed among the widows under the Family Benefit Scheme had been diverted by the local MLA.

From the Old Age Pension, 50 percent of the amount had been swindled by the MLA and his close associates.

Under the Indira Awaz Yojana, five bundles of CI sheets have been provided.

But only two bundles have been made available to the beneficiaries.

Moreover, the benefit of the fund provided under the 11th and 12th Finance Commission are also yet to be enjoyed by the people.

Misuse of public fund for development activities would not be tolerated and various democratic agitations would be launched until all the misused fund is refunded, Liyaqat warned.

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