Malkangiri AO correspondent 16/04 In Malkangiri district, it has become a practice to use machines instead of workers in the MGNREGA scheme. However, due to the negligence of the departmental officials, instead of stopping the machines in MGNREGA work, it is increasing day by day. While this scheme of the central government is meant to provide employment to the people, it is accused of providing employment to the owners of JCB/Tractor machines. Some such complaints have been made about the work of Mashanighat road from MV 80 village under Lugel Panchayat, Kalimela Block, Malkangiri District. According to the information, a road has been constructed at a cost of 7 lakh 2 thousand rupees in MGNREGA Scheme in 2023-24 financial year from MV 80 village to Mashanighat code number 243101300/RC/10573918. However, in spite of the fact that local or panchayat internal workers are required to do this work, with the aim of making more profit, the work is done illegally by poklin machines instead of workers. Locals have complained that such corruption is not possible without honeymooning with local officials. However, if this road work was done by labourers, the local people could have been self-reliant by getting wages, which has come to the fore as the machine completed the work in just two days and made the contractor a lot of money.Above all, the contractors has profited by fraudulently sending money to the account of the local job card holder by completing the work in just two days through the machine. However, after contacting Soumya Ranjan Sahu, the junior engineer of the concerned retreat, he said that he would investigate the matter and take action. In the information board attached to this work, the work of the financial year 2023-24 is written as 2024-25 while the start and end date of the work is not written.Here the question arises as to how the wages have been geotagged in such an inaccurate job board. Vigilance investigation of this work is generally demanded by local people.
Machine completed road work in two days, demands vigilance investigation
