Seram Neken appealed to all the elected members of PRIs to defend their rights and raise voice to the Government to release all pending liabilities, and also to remove the “inefficient” RD&PR minister Thongam Biswajit for trying to tarnish the image of Panchayati Raj Institutions of Manipur.
TFM Desk
Imphal East Zilla Parishad member Seram Neken on Sunday threatened legal actions against RD&PR minister Thongam Biswajit for his alleged defamatory statement that appeared in the media. Neken also vowed to sue the RD&PR Department, Government of Manipur for allegedly blocking the “rightful withdrawal” of money from his vendor’s bank account without giving prior notice and any valid reasons.
With reference to a news report published in some local media dated May 9, 2021 regarding the statement of RD&PR minister Thongam Biswajit on the fund release of MGNREGS, Seram Neken issued a clarification statement.
The said news reports quoted minister Biswajit as saying that Zilla Parishad Member of Uchekon Nongchup (Seram Neken) attempted to turn the wages component into material component, and the minister also alleged that the ZP Member was caught trying to withdraw money in the form of material component, for which the release of money has been blocked, the statement said.
Seram Neken said that an amount of Rs. 8366.18 lakh was released by the Government of Manipur on April 21, 2021. Accordingly, the RD&PR Department, Government of Manipur released some of the pending liabilities to various agencies and vendors for Gram Panchayats, Zilla Parishad members and for LD share as per their shares, he added.
In respect of Khetrigao CD Block of Imphal East District, the RD&PR Department released liabilities of Material Components to all Gram Panchayats for ZP share, LD share and GP share, except the LD share of Torban Kshetri Leikai Gram Panchayat. For the LD share of Torban Kshetri Leikai Gram Panchayat, money was released as a wage component, Neken claimed.
Due to non-release of funds by the Government in time, there have been huge liabilities in the execution of MGNREGS works. The liabilities in the form of material component and wages component are kept pending for a long time, he observed.
Neken further said that on May 3, 2021, the Block Development Office of Imphal East District released some pending liabilities as Material component to his vendor, as is done in other Gram Panchayats (for ZP share, GP share and LD share). However, on May 4, 2021, the Block Development Officer of Khetrigao CD Block wrote a letter to the Branch Manager of Bank of Baroda, MU Branch requesting to block withdrawal of money from my vendor’s account, he added.
“There is no question of turning wages component into material component, it is system generated and no person can do so. As a Zilla Parishad member, I have no authority and power to turn wages component into material component. The minister should understand the fact,” Neken asserted.
The release of material components was done for all the Gram Panchayats of Khetrigao Block (for LD, GP & ZP shares), except for the LD share of Torban Kshetri Leikai Gram Panchayat. Khetrigao CD Block has four Zilla Parishads, 14 Gram Panchayats and 102 ward members.
“However, the minister mentioned only my name supposedly because of the fact that I am an intending candidate for Thongju Assembly Constituency in the coming general election. He is trying to take political mileage out of putting false charges on me. Moreover, the minister has tarnished the image and status of all elected representatives of PRIs, especially the ZP member of 14-Uchekon Nongchup Zilla Parishad,” Neken said.
He also appealed to all the elected members of PRIs to defend their rights and raise voice to the Government of Manipur to release all pending liabilities, and also to remove the “inefficient” RD&PR minister Thongam Biswajit for trying to tarnish the image of Panchayati Raj Institutions of Manipur.