Politics heats up over MGNREGA ‘scam’ in Gidderbaha

Archit Watts

Muktsar, September 5

A day after Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Ruhee Dugg ordered a probe into the alleged Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scam in Gidderbaha, the political scene has heated up in the state.

As per documents procured by an RTI activist, a brick was purchased for Rs 400, a cement bag for Rs 3,500 and a sapling at Rs 1,66,750 in Gidderbaha Assembly segment for the development works done under the MGNREGA from 2017 to 18 and 2021 to 22.

Some Congress leaders, including sarpanches, today held a press conference and claimed that they had genuine bills of the material purchased.

They said, “There was no misappropriation of funds in Gidderbaha. We have all the genuine bills. It wasn’t a cement bag which cost Rs 3,500, but a bench. Further, Rs 400 was spent on purchasing soil and not a brick. Similarly, a single sapling didn’t cost Rs 1,66,750, but 604 plants.” “We are not aware of the bills available on the MGNREGA portal. Some officers may have tried to malign our party’s image,” they said.

AAP’s Gidderbaha constituency in-charge Pritpal Sharma said a multi-crore MGNREGA scam had taken place in Gidderbaha during the Congress tenure. He said, “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Soon, another scam done under the Punjab Nirman scheme will be unearthed. The cheques for Rs 5 crore for repair of houses were distributed just before the Assembly poll in Gidderbaha.”

SAD’s Gidderbaha segment in-charge Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon said, “I have been raising this issue for the past two years. Some bogus factories and nurseries were shown in the records in order to embezzle the funds.”

No misuse of funds

There was no misappropriation of funds. We have all the genuine bills. It wasn’t a cement bag which cost Rs 3,500, but a bench. Further, Rs 400 was spent on purchasing soil and not a brick. Similarly, Rs 1,66,750 was the cost of 604 plants and not of a single sapling. — Gidderbaha Cong leaders