The Nuapada district administration of Nuapada has unearthed a scam of Rs14 lakh under the MGNREGS programme in Komna block of Nuapada district.
Getting complaints from Tikrapada gram panchayat people, a team of DRDA officials conducted an inquiry and found that the amount has been misappropriated by a material supplier named Sundar Sunani in connivance with Sarpanch Sebati Nag, Naib Sarpanch, Amiya Padhi and one Chhabilochan Rana working in the MGNREGS Cell.
The amount has been misappropriated through showing of false expenditure on improvement of road works in different villages of Tikrapada GP. An amount of Rs3.20 lakh has been shown as expenditure in improvement of road from the Anupgarh ghati to Poiner. The approximate cost comes up to Rs2.10 lakh but the payment has been made of Rs3.20 lakh. This apart, the panchayat has spent Rs3 lakh in improvement of the same road.
However, field observation revealed that muroom spreading has been done on a 200-meter stretch of a road in April, the cost of which will come around Rs45,000. “A total amount of Rs14.20 lakh has been misappropriated by the Naib-Sarpanch and the vendor in 7 such projects,” said PD DRDA Pradip Naik.
However, villagers have alleged that the Naib Sarpandh has put Sarpanch Sebati Nag in trouble taking her simplicity. “She has been put in to trouble by the Naib Sarpanch and the vendor and one Barun Sunani,” said most of the Tikalpada villagers.
“Naib-Sarpanch, Amiya Padhi and Barun Sunani had taken the DSC token from the Sarpanch and made the fund transfer order (FTO) to the account of the vendor, Sundar Sunani of village Mahulbhata, bearing TIN no. 21756300415 and A/C no 31889821141 of SBI, Komna on different dates.
It is learnt that Panchayat Executiv Officer (PEO) Kantilal Sidhar, who is the first signatory and custodian of the DSC token is also
directly involved in the misappropriation of the fund. Itappears that he has deliberately displaced the case record and did not produce it after repeated instructions, pointed out some villagers.
An FIR has been filed in the Komna Police Station against 5 persons involved
in the misappropriation of the funds.