Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Oct 28: The gram panchayat members here reportedly have executed the contract work in the names of different contractors with the sole purpose of making sure that the grant released by the government for the development of the gram panchayats does not go back. However, the work conducted by them has become wasteful and the people are outraged.

Under the 14th finance commission, underground drainage and footbridge works were conducted at two places of Hakladi gram panchayat in Byndoor taluk. The gram panchayats are expected to keep an eye on the quality of work executed by government contractors. But the fact that the works undertaken by the gram panchayat members are substandard, has angered the people.

The underground drainage work executed at Hakladi Gudde is of poor quality. In front of the Bhajana Mandir, stone blocks had been used to build a protective wall, but these blocks have come off and the underground drainage water now flows on the road. In a private land, a footbridge has been built by spending Rs 26,000 for the convenience of the people. Even though masonry work with stones should have been conducted on either side of the bridge to see that it does not get washed away due to the force of water, only cement slabs have been provided. The footbridge is on the way to crash at any time.

Cement plaster has been provided to the public well near the Bhajana Mandir but curing was not done. Even though there is a culvert to allow rainwater to flow. Instead of building the underground drainage till that point, the water has been allowed to flow on the road. It is evident that these expenses were incurred just to spend the grant amount. In the fourth finance scheme, one lac rupees has been spent including footbridge.

Works conducted under the 14th finance commission in Hakladi were reportedly by issuing funds meant for SC/ST reservation. Work was recorded in the name of the contractor but gram panchayat members executed these works. They have however done the job in another contractors name.

Kundapur taluk panchayat executive officer Keshava Shettigar said that if irregularities are found, reports will be summoned from the gram panchayats and the guilty will be punished.