District administration accused of ignoring fund misuse issue

Our Reporter

Dimapur, Jan. 20 (EMN): Diphupar Community’s Chairman Forum (DCCF) and Diphupar Village Fact Finding Committee (DVFFC) has accused the deputy commissioner of Dimapur, Anoop Khinchi of failing to act on numerous attempts made to settle an ongoing issue regarding misappropriation of funds by various Diphupar Village Council (DVC) members, GBs and management committee members of Diphupar Village Development Board (DVDB).

This was informed at a press conference in Dimapur on Monday. The members of the DVFFC also claimed that audit report revealed a deficit of INR 4, 11, 70,540.

Calling the fund misappropriation issue as a fight between the DVC and the general public, Kenilo Rengma, convenor of the nine-member Diphupar Fact Finding Action Committee (DFFAC), said that the committee was formed to tackle it.

“If there is corruption from the grassroots level, then how can we expect the top level not to be corrupted,” Rengma asked.

Earlier in 2018, various members of DVC, GBs and members of DVDB faced the axe for misuse of funds amounting to INR 1, 10, 50,000. The matter came to light after a case was filed by the DCCF with the extra additional commissioner (EAC) of Chümoukedima on April 13, alleging that the DVC, GB and management committee members of DVDB had misused VDB funds.

Rengma claimed that the DFFAC members visited the deputy commissioner of Dimapur four times in the past three months to solve the issue but all went in vain.

“On the last visit to the DC, he assured that it will be taken care of in a week but nothing has been settled till now,” shared Rengma and asked how he (DC) could handle the entire district with bigger problems if he can’t solve the ongoing fund misuse issue.

“We are running from pillar to post for justice,” secretary of DFFAC Zuchumo Mozhui said, alleging that instead of settling the issue, the DC forwarded the letters and notices to the SDO, which showed the DC is “motivated in some other way.”

“If administration cannot deliver justice, then we will be compelled to go for a court case,” Mozhui asserted, adding that no stone would be left unturned in their regarding the issue.

Responding to the fund misuse allegation levelled against it, the GBs issued a press release in August 2018, stating that the ‘convergence fund’ was received and distributed to pay “accumulated wages” amounting to INR 2 lakh each to 33 members, which was claimed to be ‘permitted’ as ‘skilled labour wages’ under the act, and one that was due for the past two years.

The members also claimed the RD block had directed that 20% (of the fund) be retained by Diphupar village and the remaining 80% returned to the department as ‘convergence fund.’

‘In regard to this, we had constituted seven members to hand over the remaining amount to the assistant project officer under the concerned RD-block. However, the seven members requested the department and had retained INR 44,50,000 and shared among eight members for themselves,’ the press release stated.