Berhampur: There are many reasons why a considerable number of people of Odisha leave their places to work in distant places as migrant labours. Is it failing agriculture or shrinking forests which probably destroyed traditional livelihoods, forcing people to opt to work as migrant labourers. Or there is any other reason? A report from Ganjam district.
As per reports, one of the major reasons is since the MGNRGA Yojana is not implemented properly they are forced to leave the State to work in distant places as migrant labourers. It has been alleged that due to some corrupt people, the poor class people are losing their jobs.
On the other hand, while the state government is providing lakhs of rupees to each panchayat, corruption is rampant in the development works. May it be plantation of saplings, construction of roads or digging of new ponds, in all these works it has been alleged that false bills are being made for corruption. This investigative report is from the Borada and Raibandh Panchayats under Surada block of Ganjam.
Allegations of corruption in MGNREGA Yojana has been alleged. It has been alleged that in many cases machines are engaged instead of humans. In some other cases, bills of lakhs of rupees have been made though there is not even a display board. At many places, the display boards are being smashed to destroy evidence.
There is a display board to exhibiting work on the dirt road connecting Kutiliguda Adibasi Sahi from Gokulpur in the Boroda panchayat under Surada block of Ganjam. Rs 6 lakh rupees have been estimated for road construction yet there is no sign of road construction.
According to the data, this road has been billed for 2 lakh 94 thousand rupees in 2021-2022. Similarly, 6 lakh rupees have been estimated in the financial year 2021-2022 for the construction of Borada to Dadra road. As people do not travel on this clay road, they have been allegedly taken money by producing false bills.
Similarly, 2 lakh 82 thousand rupees have been billed in the financial year 2021-2022 for the construction of the road from Borada to Garh Chikli village. However, there is no sign road construction.
Besides, the villagers have also complained that lakhs of rupees have been billed in the name of some people of the panchayat for planting cashew trees. However, in reality, somewhere there is no tree while in some other places the trees have dried up and died.
Now, Pokashunga trees are found in the place of cashew trees in some places. And even though at some places there are cashew trees, due to the lack of fences, such places have turned into grazing field for cattle.
Every year lakhs of rupees are billed for planting trees in the name of villagers. Not only this, even false bills are also being made allegedly in the name of digging of ponds.
Dhanpur village has received a grant of 20 lakh rupees from MGNREGA yojana in the name of Amrit Sarobar. Till now, the machine has dug up some soil and has a bill of 10 lakh 34 thousand rupees has been made.
The government has given job cards to make people employable. But that card doesn’t work here. Machines are doing the work instead of humans.
It has further been alleged that corruption is not only limited to works of roads, ponds and plantations rather it has also been seen in the name of canal works.
Canals are there to irrigate the agricultural land. Corruption has been alleged in canal works in the Raiband Panchayat.
GRS or Gram Rojgar Sevak is engaged to provide work to the people. But there have been allegations that they have billed in the name of migrant labourers without giving works to the real beneficiaries.
Even, there is information that some people were allegedly made to stand up at work and sent away after paying fifty rupees to each of them. Rs 5 lakh 17 thousand has been billed for the improvement of Chhapuli Canal from Arkhadih in Raibandh Panchayat. And 5 lakh 57 thousand rupees has been billed for the improvement of Gaudbil Canal from Arkhadih. The villagers have raised a question as to how the bill was billed without removing an inch of soil from the canal.
Weeds have grown in the canals. Accordingly, it has been alleged that lakhs of rupees have been embezzled in the name of many canals and ponds of the panchayat.
In this connection, the local residents have complained to the GRS, Panchayat Officer and JE of the Block but in vain.
When asked about these allegations Bhanjanagar Sub Collector Jyoti Shankar Ray said, “MRNREGA Yojana is to provide employment to the workers. It does not need to be machined. Action will be taken against the block administration if machines have been engaged in these labour intensive works.
If the above allegations are true then corruption is the reason for which people going from villages as migrant labours. The villagers have demanded action against this.
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Ms Kalinga