--Action demanded against venal Soil Conservation officials
: Administrative lethargy and failure to act against corruption have encouraged irregularities in farm ponds in many panchayats under Sonpur block and other areas in Subarnapur district.
The main objectives of the farm ponds are creating storage facility during rainy season with minimum investment and providing life saving irrigation in the event of erratic rain distribution during kharif by undertaking Integrated Farming System (IFS) for sustainable agriculture with additional income generation to farm families and making them self-reliant and also to ensure income generation and employment creation for unskilled labourers as per mandate of the MGNREGA.
Lakhs of rupees have allegedly been misappropriated by showing old farm ponds as new ones by the officials of the Soil Conservation Department in Baladi panchayat under Sonepur block.
According to the reports, the department had sanctioned many farm ponds to the beneficiaries in Baladi gram panchayat. But unfortunately by not doing anything in their farmlands, bills have been raised by the officials by showing other farm ponds. The old ponds have been shown as new projects in official papers while wages of the job card holders have been embezzled.
It is alleged that the beneficiaries and officials have allegedly siphoned of funds of lakhs rupees on the pretext of construction of more than 120 farm ponds without actually doing the work.
They have prepared false bills by forging the signatures of the beneficiaries to siphon of the money. Recently, the PD, Watershed got complaints regarding the misappropriation of funds by beneficiaries named Kambodar Sahu and Biswambar Sahu.
The officials of Soil Conservation Department sanctioned their full amount money although the beneficiaries had not completed the work of farm ponds in their farm lands. It’s quite shocking for all how the Soil Conservation Extension Worker (SCEW) of the department had geo-tagged the farm ponds of the beneficiary for the process of bill although their works had not completed.
In some cases, the pond sanctioned by the Soil Conservation Department was dug up some years ago. But the officials came to the pond and got the banks of the ponds cleaned. Then, they took their photographs near the ponds. After some days they heard that the farm ponds were sanctioned in their name again.
Officials have enlisted fake persons as daily wagers in the muster roll prepared for farm pond excavation. Many other labourers whose names have been enlisted in the muster roll have denied working in the excavation of the farm pond. When asked about the wages, all the daily wagers denied having worked in any pond excavation.
Sources said that many influential people are involved in the scams. However, as they wield power, locals are not daring to speak out against them.
When contacted, PD Watershed Ramesh Chandra Dehury admitted that some of the projects have not been developed as they should.
Locals demanded the intervention of the 5T Secretary and Soil Conservation Department Principal Secretary Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee regarding the farm ponds scam and strict action against those officials who have been involved.