SINAPALI, (Report- Malay Meher): Serious allegations of corruption and procedural violations have stalled public trust in ongoing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Central Finance Commission (CFC) projects in Liad village, located in the Sinapali block of Nuapada district. 
Despite crores of rupees being poured into rural development, local residents accuse officials of flouting government guidelines by replacing manual laborers with heavy machinery, cutting corners on materials, and operating with zero transparency.
Outraged citizens are now demanding swift administrative intervention to protect public funds. They have appealed to the District Collector, the Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency (PD-DRDA), the Sinapali Block Development Officer (BDO), and senior MGNREGA officials to launch an immediate, impartial inquiry and take strict legal action against any officials or agencies found guilty of malpractice.
Despite crores of rupees being poured into rural development, local residents accuse officials of flouting government guidelines by replacing manual laborers with heavy machinery, cutting corners on materials, and operating with zero transparency.
Multi-Lakh Projects Under Scrutiny
The controversy centers on three distinct local developments:- A ₹10 lakh road construction project connecting Kaparmal Chhak to Dongarmunda.
- A ₹25 lakh excavation and renovation project at the Liad Big Pond.
- A ₹4 lakh CFC-funded development at the Gaduwal and Gadhua Tooth ponds.
Core Allegations by Villagers
Locals have raised several red flags regarding how these funds are being utilized on the ground:- Machines Replacing Manual Labor: The primary objective of MGNREGA is to guarantee wage employment to rural laborers. However, villagers allege that contractors are using tractors and heavy machinery to execute the work, directly violating the scheme’s core mandate and depriving locals of jobs.
- Misappropriation of Materials: Soil excavated from the Liad Big Pond—which is meant to fortify the pond's own embankments—is allegedly being transported by tractors to build the Kaparmal–Dongarmunda road. Villagers fear this compromises the quality of the pond renovation while inflating the billing for the road construction.
- Zero Transparency: None of the work sites feature the mandatory government information boards. By law, these boards must publicly display the project's name, estimated budget, timeline, labor days generated, and the names of the responsible officials.
- Unauthorised Supervision: Residents claim the husband of a local Gram Sathi is unofficially acting as a site supervisor. Villagers state they have photographic and video evidence of his daily involvement, raising questions about who is actually managing these state-funded projects.
Calls for an Impartial Probe
Officially, the projects fall under the monitoring of Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) Kshema Sagar Sahu, with technical supervision handled by Junior Engineer (JE) Sangram Kesari Parida. However, villagers state that no clarification has been offered regarding the missing signboards or the use of heavy machinery.
Outraged citizens are now demanding swift administrative intervention to protect public funds. They have appealed to the District Collector, the Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency (PD-DRDA), the Sinapali Block Development Officer (BDO), and senior MGNREGA officials to launch an immediate, impartial inquiry and take strict legal action against any officials or agencies found guilty of malpractice.
Posts
0 Comments