Tuensang, September 24 (MExN): The Legal Aid Clinic in Shamator headquarters of Tuensang district has written to the Block Development Officer concerned to immediately implement Village Development Board Model Rules, 1980 (Revised) under Rural Development (RD) Block Shamator within a period of one month.
According to a representation sent to the BDO RD Block Shamator on September 23 by Para Legal Volunteer (PLV), Thsantong, the department concerned had “willfully ignored” certain sections of the VDB Model Rules, 1980 (Revised) which was notified by Department of Rural Development NO.RDAMB/RULES/89-90 Dated Kohima, the November 21, 1989. It extends to the whole of Nagaland and “the same is yet to be implemented under Shamator RD Block till date owing to the reason best known to your department,” stated the representation.
The PLV urged the department to “immediately implement” sections 4 (a), 4 (b) and 7 of the Rules under Shamator RD Block within a period of one month from the date of the issue of this representation.
According to the representation to the BDO RD Block Shamator, “General body meetings were hardly conducted, citizens were hardly sensitized on available programmes and even their constitutionally guaranteed rights under MGNREGA were discriminated and deprived in every given opportunity from different levels of implementing agency.”
In addition, it stated, many villages are yet to set up VDB Management Committee. Consequently, under allegedly “willful violations” of the above Rules, “Head GB or Village Council Chairman was being appointed or otherwise acting as Chairman without even constituting Management Committee” which, the representation stated, is a “direct mockery” of the department.
According to the Legal Aid Clinic, this alleged violation is “encouraging ample room for misappropriation and siphoning off of public fund meant for village development.”
While raising questions of accountability and transparency, the representation notified that “raising citizen’s concerns over rampant corruption and misappropriation and asking the implementing agency, including the village level one-man VDB army (VDB Secretary), to be accountable only results in shutting the voice of the innocent citizens on the pretext of stopping village NREGS funds indefinitely and other village developments and they were victimized on many occasions which is very unbecoming and intolerable in the eye of the Law.”
The Legal Aid Clinic in Shamator also stated to have learnt that “even after discharging their obligations with utmost sincerity and dedication, many VDB Secretaries were paid meager incentives which are directly in contravention of the said Rules.”
Therefore, it urged the department to “ensure their rightful remuneration as guaranteed by such Rules to all the VDB Secretaries without further delay.”
The Legal Aid Clinic Shamator made known that reports on alleged misappropriation and rights violation are being reported by aid seekers from various villages under Shamator Sub-Division pertaining to NREGS funds. If this is not acted upon, the Clinic maintained that it will deal with the issues “befittingly under the ambit of established law.”
