Muktsar admn detects irregularities under MGNREGA at model village

Archit Watts

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Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 17

After a special audit under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) found huge irregularities, including submission of fake bills for development of Sakkanwali model village here, the district administration in its physical verification done through the Rural Development Department has found that some excess material was used.

Besides, some bills uploaded on the MGNREGA website and those entered in the register are different. However, the exact amount of the excess material is yet to be calculated. Meanwhile, sources in the administration said now efforts were being made to make some clerical staff in the Block Development and Panchayats Office scapegoat in this case.

On being asked, Harinder Singh Sra, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Muktsar, said, “The executive engineer of the Rural Development Department has submitted his physical verification report and some manual bills are found different from those uploaded online. Further, the report has indicated usage of excess material, but its amount is yet to be calculated. Thus, action will be taken thereafter accordingly. The special audit report, after which the physical verification was ordered, seems to be not that authentic.”

This issue is also in the notice of senior officers in Chandigarh and local Congress leaders have even taken up the matter with them.

On the other hand, Charanjit Singh, SAD leader of Sakkanwali village, said, “We have carried out the works without any mala fide intention and are hopeful that nothing wrong will come out against us.”

However, as per the special audit report under the MGNREGA, action had been recommended against the officials concerned so that money could be recovered.

The district administration had showcased this village’s development model, turning a pond into beautiful lake with boating facility, on almost every platform in the past two years. It also bagged some awards for it.

However, the special audit’s findings have come as a shocker.

As per the report, the record of the village panchayat was incomplete and most of the bills in the name of Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) were found fake, which were not verified by the officials concerned. Further, the measurement book was neither completed nor signed by the officials concerned.

The report stated, “Material for more than Rs 3.5 crore was procured without tenders/quotations. Moreover, most of the material was purchased at much higher rate than the prevailing market rate. Different rates were paid for the same item to the same vendor on the same day.”