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Madras High Court directive to Perambalur district collector

Probe allegations of misappropriation of funds meant for digging ponds.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Perambalur district collector to conduct an inquiry into allegations of misappropriation of public funds allocated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to dig ponds in Noothapur village in Perambalur and file a report to the court.

A division bench comprising Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and M. Seshasayee also ordered notice to the Union and state governments, Block Development officer (panchayat), Junior Engineer and the Overseer, Veppanthattai Panchayat Union on a PIL filed by P. Annadurai, R. Chinnasamy and M. Ramasamy of Noothapur village.

The bench said, “We find that on an average of about '80,000 is being sanctioned for each beneficiary and funds allocated for a particular village in Perambalur district appears to be substantial. Since the Assistant project officer of the panchayat has recorded statements from various persons, the said authority is directed to file a report to the district collector within a week. On receipt of the same, the district collector shall peruse the same and make necessary inquiry and submit a report to the court”.

The bench posted to April 27, further hearing of the case. Petitioners’ counsel R. Bharath Kumar submitted that the Union government was implementing several schemes through the state departments concerned by allocating necessary funds. One such scheme was to choose small farmers who own lands below 2.5 acres, marginal farmers who own lands below 5 acres as beneficiaries in rural areas to dig ponds in their own lands to harvest rainwater and the work of digging the ponds would be allocated to the village people at the rate of '100 per day.

As per the said scheme, the pond would be dug up to help them harvest the rainwater during the dry spell in the region. The District Rural Development Agency has been in the forefront, digging farm ponds on private lands free of cost.

This has got multiple benefits as ponds would help to rear fish to augment income and to improve the groundwater level of farms lands. This would help the farmers who were deprived of water for cultivation, Bharath Kumar added.

He said the petitioners were the beneficiaries selected/ identified for the years 2015-17. The Overseers and Junior Engineers have fabricated revenue documents and misappropriated funds allocated for the said scheme. When it was brought to the notice of project director and assistant project director, they promised to take necessary action. But no action was taken. Therefore, the petitioners sent a representation dated April 11, 2017, to various authorities. But, there was no response, Bharath Kumar added.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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