Nov. 26: The Rabiram Narzary faction of the Bodoland Peoples’ Progressive Front (BPPF) has demanded a judicial inquiry into anomalies in the issuance of job cards in Kachugaon block of Kokrajhar.

Job cards are issued under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Employment is supposed to be provided within 15 days of receiving an application.

In a memorandum to Governor Ajay Singh last week, the BPPF alleged that the block development authorities were using the cards to illegally draw wages against approved but unimplemented schemes, keeping the supposed beneficiaries in the dark.

On November 19, over 3,000 people in Kachugaon block gheraoed the block office at Gurufella, demanding job cards and sustainable employment under the act. A mob later hurled stones at the block office, forcing the police to lathicharge the protesters. Seven persons were injured in the police retaliation. The secretary of the BPPF, Hemendra Brahma, said attempts were made to duplicate family job cards, going by irregular page numbering, printing blocks, size and the quality of the paper used to print these.

“The beneficiaries doubt the genuineness of the cards and suspect that these have either been misused for illegal withdrawal of money or to tamper with the master roll without the knowledge of bonafide card holders,” Brahma said. He demanded a judicial inquiry into irregularities in distribution of family job cards. “The police lathicharge, firing of tear gas shells and blank firing in Kachuagon block office should also be probed,” he said.

The guidelines states that photographs of applicants have to be attached to job cards.

“It is observed that the block development authorities took family photographs in 2006 and issued job cards against applicants’ names but did not give the cards to them. Instead, they misused it for illegal drawing of wages against approved but unimplemented schemes ,” Brahma alleged. “We are not provided work till now. The officials are enjoying the money meant for us,” an unemployed poor said.

Residents of Mozati, Bongaon, Katriguri, Raimona, Motambil and Jambuguri in remote Saraibil area under the block alleged that they remained jobless all these years.

“The job cards given to us were taken back after a few weeks,” the villagers complained.

Copies of the memorandum were sent to Union rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat.