Officials rapped over poor utilisation of NREGA funds

MP expresses displeasure over dismal record at DDCMC meet

Chamarajanagar MP R Dhruvanarayan, on Monday, expressed displeasure over the dismal record of fund utilisation under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in the district.

During the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) meeting held at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium here, he said, the district is in the sixth place in the state while Belagavi and Ramanagaram districts stand first and second respectively.

According to the authorities, the district has spent Rs 104.58 crore. While Mysuru taluk has spent only Rs 6.48 crore with the last place in the district, HD Kote tops the list by spending Rs 29.03 crore.

However, Mysuru taluk officials claim that they could not spend more funds as 12 Gram Panchayats come under the city limits.

The MP said, in the prevailing drought situation, the authorities can easily spend a minimum of Rs 50 lakh in every GP. “Mysuru district has 235 panchayats. So, the officials should utilise the funds to take up works like lake desilting, road development and works related to drought relief,” he said.

MLA Chikkamadu said, social impact auditors have been creating problems for panchayat development officers in spending funds under MNREGA.

“The authorities have issued job cards to 2,01,678 people for a total number of 23,136 works. Of them, 14,959 works have been completed, 3,873 are under progress and the remaining are yet to be taken up,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of drinking water projects, Dhruvanarayan directed the officials to complete the projects without any delay. The MP lamented that not even a single project is up to the mark and a majority of the completed projects are not functioning. The officials should ensure quality works, he said.

MLA Chikkamadu urged the district administration to allow the contractors to utilise the sand available locally. At present, lifting of sand, for any purpose, is not allowed in the district and the contractors depend on manufactured-sand (M-Sand) or sand from neighbouring districts.

‘Influential eyeing tribal land’
MP Pratap Simha said, a few people at Pakshirajapur in Hunsur taluk are trying the grab the lands alloted to the tribals there. The tribal people are cultivating the land and have also settled there, but, a few influential are claiming that the government has alloted the lands that belong to private people. The officials claimed that the assistant commissioner has visited the spot to take measures to resolve the problem.

Sansad Adarsh Grama
Pratap Simha urged the state government to sanction funds for the Sansad Adarsh Grama Yojana (Adarsh Grama), which has been initiated by the Union government to bring the MPs of all political parties under the same umbrella while taking the responsibility of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in villages and turn them into model villages.

Simha had taken up Karimuddanahalli in Hunsur taluk for development. MP Dhruvanarayan said, as the project is of the Centre, the state government could not fund it.

Simha took severe exception to the officials of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for not developing the road near Ganapathi Sachchidananda Ashram as per the norms.

The authorities failed to acquire the necessary lands and did not lay a service road. Due to the lapses, accident in the area is rampant, he said.

Dhruvanarayan asked the authorities to organise for a detailed inspection, in which MPs, DC, and NHAI Chief Engineer would be present.

No nomination
As per the agenda of the meeting, it was planned to nominate Dr Yatheendra, son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as member of the committee (DDCMC) but, the nomination was not taken up for discussion. Dr Yatheendra was supposed to replace one Kalasuru Shivappa.

Speaking to reporters, Dhruvanarayan said, Dr Yatheendra would be made a member of the Karnataka Development Programme’s committee for the quarterly district progress review meetings, chaired by District in-charge Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa.