Mirzapur
Mirzapur. Serious questions have now been raised on the process of payment and construction work regarding the interlocking laid from the temple to Kiran Singh's house in Naugaon Gram Panchayat of Halia development block. It is alleged that the interlocking which was laid by Kiran Singh at his personal expense by employing labor and material, was paid for with the connivance of the village head and the concerned firm. Various types of discussions are going on at the village level regarding the matter and questions are also being raised on the functioning of the responsible officials.
It is being told that when JE Vinod Kumar was talked to regarding the interlocking work, he accepted that payment for the interlocking work was made. Ashutosh Pandey, owner of the concerned firm, said that the payment was made in two parts. According to him, out of the payment, Rs 1 lakh was given to the village head as commission, while the remaining amount was said to be given as material. However, these allegations have not been independently confirmed and the official side of the parties concerned is yet to come out.
Here Kiran Singh alleges that he has got the entire interlocking work done with his personal money. He says that neither did he receive any payment in the name of interlocking material nor was the amount of wages refunded. According to Kiran Singh, if the interlocking had been constructed with government money as per rules, then the prescribed standards would have been followed from the preparation of the road to the quality of construction, but at the spot the interlocking has been laid on the ground itself.
Kiran Singh also raised serious questions on the quality of construction and said that sufficient base material was not laid below the interlocking and the border was also not prepared properly. They allege that the bricks used are also of very poor quality. In such a situation, the question arises that if the work was not done as per the standards on the spot, then on what basis and in whose name was the government payment made?
The whole matter has raised questions about the difference between the payments made in the name of development works in Gram Panchayat and the actual status of work on the ground. Villagers say that if the work has been paid for with government money, then it is very important to check its quality, measurement, material and payment related records on the spot. It should also be made clear by whom the interlocking was done, in whose name the payment was made and who is the real beneficiary after the payment.
The allegations of commission, payment and shoddy construction made in the case are very serious. However, the real situation will be revealed only after an impartial investigation into these allegations. Now it remains to be seen whether the concerned department conducts an on-site investigation into the matter and clarifies the process of payment, quality of construction and the role of the responsible people or this alleged game of the Gram Panchayat remains covered up. The villagers have demanded an impartial investigation into the entire matter and action against the culprits and recovery of funds in case of misuse of government funds.