Dispur cracks whip, 5 DCs get show-cause notice

NON-RELEASE OF MGNREGA FUNDS

The DCs only released material component funds for 2016-17 & 2017-18 fiscals, while funds meant for 2014-15 & 2015-16 were kept pending

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, June 19: Five deputy commissioners of the State are facing Dispur’s wrath for allegedly defying the instructions of State Panchayat and Rural Development Department over release of MGNREGA fund.

Taking a tough stand, Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) Department has issued show-cause notices to the DCs of five districts — Goalpara, Kamrup, Cachar, gaon and Baksa — for not following the Department’s instruction relating to release of funds for  material component under MGNREGA scheme, a P&RD department source told The Sentinel.

The State government recently released funds for material component under MGNREGA scheme to every district, and the P&RD Department duly ordered the deputy commissioners to clear all pending liabilities under MGNREGA scheme from 2014-15 fiscal onwards.

But to the utter surprise of the department, the DCs of the five districts instead of clearing pending liabilities for all fincial years till date, only released material component funds for the years 2016-17 and 2017-18, the source added.

As a result, the funds meant for material component in 2014-15 and 2015-16 fiscals continue to remain pending in the five districts.

An irked P&RD Department has now issued notices to them, seeking explation as to why no action should be initiated against them. 

The source further revealed that release of MGNREGA fund to the respective five districts has been stopped for the time being — and if the respective DCs failed to give satisfactory replies to the notices, government would initiate necessary action against them.