Farmers chosen for cattle shelter scheme left in lurch

They are kept in dark over the ₹ 3.5-crore scheme in Madurai

October 06, 2017 08:01 am | Updated March 13, 2018 12:03 am IST - MADURAI

Picture for representation purpose. File

Picture for representation purpose. File

 

A majority of 241 beneficiaries chosen for the around ₹ 3.5 crore free cattle shelter project for 2015-16 in Madurai district have been left in the lurch for more than two years with no progress on the work.

While The Hindu managed to independently confirm that a portion of the project, costing ₹42.84 lakh for 30 beneficiaries from Alanganallur block, has remained a non-starter, sources in District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which is responsible for the implementation, said that the situation was the same in at least eight of the remaining 12 blocks.

 

Beneficiaries in Alanganallur block, whom The Hindu spoke to, alleged that petitions submitted to Collector and the Project Officer of DRDA over the past one-and-a-half years went in vain. Some of them said that the money they spent out of pocket for laying the foundation and flooring, as demanded by DRDA, had not been reimbursed, as promised by the department.

As per the scheme, which is fulfilled partly through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the beneficiaries are chosen by Aavin at block-level and handed over to DRDA for execution. A cost of anywhere between ₹ 1.25 lakh and ₹ 2.15 lakh is sanctioned for each beneficiary depending on the number of cattle heads.

The beneficiaries are supposed to lay foundation and construct floor by engaging MGNREGS workers to whom wages will be directly paid by DRDA. The money spent for materials by the beneficiaries will be reimbursed. The remaining work of erection of poles and construction of roof, which is generally done through prefabrication method, will be done by a private contractor engaged at the district or State-level by DRDA.

P. Tamilalagan, a beneficiary from Kuttimekkipati village, who had submitted three petitions to the district administration, said that he spent around ₹ 5,000 in the preparatory work for laying foundation way back in September 2015 as per instructions of DRDA officials.

R. Pandi, another beneficiary from Periya Ilandaikulam, said that he even finished flooring by spending ₹ 20,000.

Mr. Tamilalagan said he was shocked when he was told last year by some officials that the project had already been ‘completed.’ While two petitions he subsequently submitted at the weekly grievance meeting in the Collectorate went unanswered, a third petition was responded by the then Additional Collector and Project Officer or DRDA B. Rohini Ramdas. Though she assured in a letter in January 2017 that a ‘work order’ was already issued to a private company and it would be completed soon, there was no further development.

Acknowledging that the project has been completed only in four of the 13 blocks, a senior official from the district administration said instructions had now been issued to the private contractor and DRDA officials to complete the work at the earliest.

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