Keonjhar: Effective implementation MGNREGS in tribal-dominated Champua block of this district has come into question as some job card holders allegedly they have not received wages for the last two years.
Two such labourers took up the issue with the district administration Monday after the department concerned paid no heed to their repeated complaints about pending wages.
According to reports, Tapan Kumar Behera and Dinamani Karua of Phulakanlei village under this block had worked under some projects undertaken by the deputy director’s office of the horticulture department.
Besides, several other poor daily wagers in other parts of the district have allegedly not received their wages. As a result, the job card holders have lost faith in the Centre-sponsored scheme.
The two labourers said they were engaged by the horticulture department in plantation of 3,200 mango saplings on the land of a person in Budhimara mouza in June, 2014. As per government guidelines, the department needs to maintain the saplings for three years before handing over the farm to the beneficiary.
The daily workers are supposed to get `174 per day, but they have not been paid their dues.
Behera and Karua said whenever they had asked for their wages, the officials had always assured them their wages will be cleared after receiving funds from the government.
“Without wages, our families are leading miserable lives. We each have to get `1.5 lakh as wage for the last two years,” the duo claimed.
They demanded an investigation into the delay in their wage clearance and action against the officials responsible for it.
Field manager of the horticulture department, Prahallad Sethi, said for shortage of funds, wages have not been paid. “Funds will be available soon and they will be paid their wages in 10 to 15 days,” said Sethi.
The incident has come to fore amid allegation of large-scale financial irregularities in projects of MGNREGS. PNN
