Madhya Pradesh: Secretary, Sarpanch appropriate Rs 47.97L, CEO writes for action

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Chief executive officer (CEO) of BijabarJanpad Akhilesh Upadhyay shot off a letter to the higher-ups in the district Panchayat seeking action against the secretary of Shahgarh Panchayat Devendra Yadav and its Sarpanch Ujiyari Bai Adivasi. Both of them misused government funds for development work in the Panchayat, official sources said. According to letter bearing number 4493 JP 2022 was sent to the administration nearly a month ago, but the district Panchayat has issued only a show-cause notice to the secretary.

According to reports, on the grounds of complaints from people’s representatives, Upadhyay set up a five-member committee to inquire into the filching of funds by the secretary and the Sarpanch. The committee comprised assistant engineer of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA) Vipin Shukla, BPO Rajendra Prasad Pateria, APO Sandeep Mishra, and sub-engineer Lokesh Arjaria. The committee inquired into the construction work and submitted a three-page report to the office of the CEO. The committee said that Yadav had withdrawn Rs 46.97 lakh for construction in advance, he did not get any work done and some of the jobs remain unfinished.

As the fund was not used, the CEO sought action against the Yadav and Adivasi, official sources said, adding that the senior officials of the Panchayat are yet to take any action against the duo. According to the CEO of district Panchayat in Chhatarpur, Tapasya Parihar, she recently joined the district Panchayat, but she issued show-cause notices to the secretary and the Sarpanch. If they fail to give a suitable reply, stern action will be taken against them, she said.