After poll loss, graft cases add to Mayawati’s woes

New Delhi: While BSP supremo Mayawati is still reeling under the humiliating drubbing in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the ghosts pertaining to the alleged cases of corruption during her tenure as chief minister too don’t appear to be getting exorcised any sooner. The CBI, which filed three chargesheets at a time on March 27, related to its probe into the massive financial irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the state, has concluded how Central funds were siphoned-off by the block level officers of the district administration allegedly in active connivance with the local politicians between 2007 and 2010. Mayawati was chief minister from 2007 to 2012.

Sources said investigations by the agency revealed that, just in one block, Sathan, of Sant Kabir Nagar district, three BDOs allegedly siphoned-off central funds to the tune of several lakhs in 11 contracts of MGNREGS between 2007 and 2010. However, sources refused to divulge the name of the local politicians. “In five instances, the agency recommended ‘regular departmental action (RDA)’ against several state government employees who were posted in the Sathan block at that time,” sources said. The agency in its probe report alleged that three former BDOs—Dukhi Prasad, Durga Dutt Shukla and Digvijay Nath—misused their official position, sources said.  

“The CBI is also probing the role of state government officials posted in Balrampur, Gonda and Mahoba districts in the state as part of its investigations into the MGNREGS scam. Revenue officers played crucial role in the disbursement of central funds in these districts,” sources said. The CBI has so far registered 16 cases to probe the alleged irregularities in implementation of the Centrally-sponsored scheme in 21 districts in the state. The FIRs were registered on the direction of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court. The probe period, by the CBI, is between 2007-10.

Expressing displeasure over corruption in the implementation of Central scheme, the Allahabad high court had directed the CBI to probe the allegations of financial irregularities into use of MGNREGS funds in UP.

The court had observed, “Material on record prima facie reveals startling facts with regard to misappropriation of fund allocated under MGNREGS right from lowest echelon of the elected representatives, pradhans, gram sabha members to the higher bureaucracy in a well netted collusive manner”.