Audit exposes panchayat lapses

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, March 24:

Hundreds of panchayats, mostly controlled by the CPI-M, have been steeped in corruption and financial irregularities to the tune of crore of rupees during the past few years. The audit report on the state panchayati raj institutions, tabled in the Assembly today, has laid bare this tangled web of malpractices.

In many cases not only money provided by different Central schemes was diverted, but people living below the poverty line for whom the schemes were meant, were deprived.

In 1,573 gram panchayats Rs 37.67 crore was spent during 2004-05 towards assistance under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) for construction and upgradation of huts, but none of the beneficiaries were from the BPL list. The scheme was specifically meant for this segment of the population. It “shows lack of internal control in selection of beneficiaries as per the guidelines of the scheme”, the report stated. In another instance of corruption of colossal proportions, Rs 259.54 crore was given to the beneficiaries for constructing 68,245 sanitary latrines in 1,328 gram panchayats and 78,766 smokeless chullahs in 1,592 panchayats during 2004-05, but not a single such unit has come up.

During 2002-2005 11 panchayat samitis spent Rs 84.85 lakh for Central schemes under Sampoorna Gramin Rojgar Yojana (SGRY) by engaging contractors. The guidelines stipulate that no contractor can be engaged for such schemes devised for the benefit of the rural poor. Thus, the erring panchayat samitis gave undue favours to contractors with funds that could have “ensured employment generation of 82,113 mandays”, the report stated.

In another bizarre instance of irregularities, the guidelines of SGRY were twisted in such a manner that funds were spent for religious purposes though the scheme “prohibits” such use.

Two panchayat samitis of South 24-Parganas incurred expenditure to the tune of Rs 37.43 lakh for wages, materials and foodgrain valued at Rs 4.56 lakh toward wages, for constructing sheds, fencing, bus stands, road, ramps, towers and hogla sheds for the Ganga Sagar mela in 2004.