Bandipora, Jan 11: The beneficiaries under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have alleged that corruption is reigning supreme in Subbal area in the implementation of the programme.
 Beneficiaries from various villages of the Gurez including Jurnail, Tulial, and Kilshay have alleged that the scheme has failed to serve the purpose as corruption has taken a better of it, leaving them in lurch.
 The inhabitants of Jurnail, Tulial, Zadgai (A&B) and Kilshay villages of Gurez Constituency alleged that the Block Development Officer is not making funds available for the implementation of work, due to which the execution of these has taken a hit in the area.
 “Funds meant for the scheme have been stopped for unknown reasons and the beneficiaries have suffered inordinately,” a Sarpanch form Jurnail A and B told Greater Kashmir.
 He alleged that the BDO was not heeding to the complaints of the aggrieved beneficiaries. “If the officers will not consider our complaints seriously we will resign as Panchs and Sarpanchs,” a group of Sarpanchs from Tulail said.
 BDO Gurez, however, told Greater Kashmir that the payment has been halted as the concerned engineer was not available for the final assessment of the work to be executed.
 Residents of Kanyari of Sumbal alleged that MGNREGS has practically boiled down to serving the purpose of favouritism as the works under the scheme are allotted to political workers, who always leave the work incomplete.
 The beneficiaries who don’t have political patronage have to pay bribes and face intimidation to get the work, they alleged.
 The people said the Village Level Workers of the area had allegedly withheld their cards and they were not in a position to get the work despite the fact that they were the genuine beneficiaries.
 Muhammad Yaseen of Kanyari said the residents of the area are unaware of the MGNREGS “The only thing they know about the Scheme is that they get a card from the VLW for the work.”
 Denying the allegations Assistant Commissioner Development Bandipora, Nazir Ahmed told Greater Kashmir that the work under MGNREGS is being allotted to deserving people and there was no question of favoritism.
 “We allot works on demand. The complaints of the Kanyari people would, however, be verified.” He said so far as the work allotment in Gurez are concerned, if any payment is pending that would be released very soon.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST