Bolangir villagers allege ‘ghost pond’ irregularities under MGNREGA

Allegations of large-scale misappropriation of funds have surfaced from Muribahal block in Odisha’s Bolangir district, where money meant for pond excavation and development works under a government scheme was allegedly siphoned off.

Villagers have alleged that lakhs of rupees were withdrawn in the name of development activities that were either repeated multiple times on official records or never executed on the ground.

The controversy has also drawn attention to the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme as “G RAM G”. While the name of the scheme has reportedly been changed, locals claim that irregularities and misuse of funds under the programme continue.

Multiple Withdrawals Alleged

According to villagers, renovation work of the Gocharamunda pond in Asurmunda village under Ghanrei panchayat was shown in official records to have been carried out more than ten times over the past five years. On the basis of these records, funds amounting to lakhs of rupees were allegedly withdrawn.

Villagers further alleged that bills worth lakhs were raised in the names of two ponds — Mahulamunda and Gocharamunda Mahabandh — which they claim do not exist in the village, raising serious questions about the authenticity of the records.

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Complainant Chudamani Tandi said funds were repeatedly withdrawn by showing that renovation work of the Gocharamunda pond had been undertaken multiple times.

Complaints Submitted

Under the scheme, withdrawal of funds requires the Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) of the Sarpanch and the Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO). Villagers alleged that these DSCs were used to facilitate the withdrawal of the funds.

Residents have submitted written complaints to the Block Development Officer (BDO) and the District Collector, demanding a probe into the alleged irregularities. However, villagers claim that no action has been taken so far.