Pradhan accused of fund embezzlement
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 21 2011: Job card holders under MGNREGS in ward no.I of Yairipok Top Chingtha Gram Panchayat have accused the Pradhan with forging their signatures and withdrawing a huge amount of fund meant for payment as wages to them.

Talking to mediapersons in this connection at Yairipok Azad High School today afternoon, around 140 job card holders in ward no.I of the Gram Panchayat (GP) informed that around 948 job card holders living in seven different wards of the Gram Panchayat have performed various works under MGNREGS from 2008 to 2010.But the job card holders have been paid only Rs 3000 as wages on an average so far.

Moreover, for the wages paid to them, they have not signed on their respective bank passbooks nor have withdrawn the money from the bank directly.

The accused Pradhan distributed the wages among the job card holders after calling them in his house.

The aggrieved job card holders contended that the total amount of wages they are supposed to get for the works performed since 2008 to August this year is Rs 10,753, and this came to light when the bank passbooks which were in the custody of the Pradhan were taken back in connection with distribution of Rs 250 to each of the job card holders by Tulihal Zilla Parishad member K Nilakamal on the occasion of Ed festival on August 29 .

On closer scrutiny, it was also found out that some of the pages in the bank passbooks were missing and signatures appended were different, the aggrieved job card holders asserted, while showing the bank passbooks in question to mediapersons.

They further alleged that names of Government employees including school teachers, college e lecturers, Indian Army personnel and MR jawan are in the list of job card holders of the Gram Panchayat.

Moreover, job cards for some of the people have been issued without their knowledge.

Most interestingly, Kongbam Keshokumar of ward no.V, who is the husband of Pradhan Kongbam Ongbi Inaocha Devi, was found to be in serial no.I of the list of the job card holders of the Gram Panchayat, the aggrieved job card holders pointed out, and drew the attention of the Government and its related authorities concerned for necessary action and ensuring payment of their pending wages.

Comment