Various job card holders from the Village Employment Council of Shialkandi under Demdema Community and Rural Development block have filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills against the Block Development Officer of Demdema accusing him to making a mockery of the rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS).
The complaint comes after the BDO did not allocate work to the VEC as well as allowing the VEC secretary, who was jailed in a corruption case, to continue in the role.
“We would like to lodge a complaint against the BDO for encouraging the practice of corruption and manipulating the entire MGNREGA scheme and for being irregular in providing developmental schemes to job card holders,” said the complainants.
The villagers complained that out of 157 job card holders in the VEC, only 115 were given work.
“The remaining 42 card holders have been denied benefits of MGNREGA schemes since 2019. The BDO has been denying work to the remaining card holders. The action of the BDO is discriminatory in nature and violation of fundamental rights,” they alleged.
They questioned the motive of the BDO when the scheme itself was to help those that were underprivileged.
“He (BDO) is making a mockery by not adhering to the guidelines and objectives. He is indirectly killing the people by indulging in corruption and depriving the undersigned by not giving work. Hence we are lodging a complaint and praying for intervention into the matter,” they added.
The villagers through the complaint asked the DC to instruct the BDO to implement the scheme in a fair manner and give benefit of a hundred days’ work to the complainants.
“This will help and provide us ways to survive and live with dignity,” they added.
The villagers further, in the complaint, asked as to how the VEC secretary, Mokbul Hussaon, was still in that role when he was lodged in jail on corruption charges. However, he has yet to be convicted and, according to the rules, only those who have been found guilty are not allowed to hold a VEC post.
