A file picture of a meeting of MGNREGS workers

Dumka, June 29: Over 50 per cent of MGNREGS funds meant for the district is being misappropriated by government officials and concerned ministers, a junior engineer of the minor irrigation department has claimed.

In a letter to Santhal Pargana commissioner Santosh Kumar on May 30, junior engineer Rameshwar Mistry alleged that even before the first instalment of funds is released, two per cent is set aside for the minister, one per cent each for the superintending and chief engineers and seven per cent for district officials. He requested Kumar to order a probe into the issue.

Mistry claimed that executive engineer Sitaram Prasad alone pocketed 19 per cent of funds meant for the district in two instalments. The share of the assistant engineer and the junior engineer stood at six and seven per cent respectively. Over and above the “commissions”, the officials charged money every time they inspected schemes following complaints of irregularities.

According to the junior engineer’s letter, departmental proceedings were initiated against him for refusing to pay the “stipulated” commissions.

Referring to his case, the complainant said Prasad had subjected him to immense harassment because he refused to pay out Rs 6.64 lakh in commissions out of a sanctioned Rs 11.36 lakh meant for two MGNREGS projects.

With his letter, the junior engineer submitted a list of about a dozen MGNREGS projects undertaken by the minor irrigation department in which crores of rupees were misappropriated in connivance with the district officials, the executive engineer and other stakeholders.

“The cost of these projects range from Rs 17 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, and many have been carried out on paper only” the letter, a copy of which is with The Telegraph, stated. Mistry added that the projects that had been undertaken by him had been completed.

Not only his colleagues, the junior engineer also alleged that deputy commissioner Prashant Kumar patronised the executive engineer despite allegations of corruption against the latter.

When contacted, executive engineer Prasad. Refused to comment. The deputy commissioner, on his part, said deputy development commissioner K.K. Das had been asked to inquire into Mistry’s allegations. He, however, added that there were charges of funds misappropriation pending against Mistry himself. He said the district administration had approached the authorities in Ranchi to take action against the junior engineer.

Mistry in his letter had claimed that MGNREGS projects were often sanctioned without considering their viability, resulting in losses.