Rs 1,000 cr in hands of ‘Naxal-backed’ panch, officials fear misuse

Several among 1,628 gram panchayats in Bastar would now witness these panch directing and monitoring various government schemes costing at least Rs 1,000 crore annually. Maoists have always acknowledged receiving funds through commissions from such schemes in Bastar.

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Concerned by the verdict, Sukma SP D Shravan and ASP Santosh Singh visited interior areas immediately after the results to meet the newly-elected representatives. “We spent a week inside and met some of them. We know that they have links (with Maoists); we know that they were backed by those people (Maoists), but we told them that now you have chosen the path of democracy, you have a responsibility towards the government,” Singh said.

About the possibility of misuse of funds, Singh said: “We will watch them carefully. The administration will have to ensure that funds do not reach Maoists. All works will now have to be properly audited. If they (panch) show that they have done some work, they will have to produce photographs and other details.”

The maximum presence of Maoist-backed representatives is in the three southern and the western Narayanpur districts of Bastar, where of total 6,963 panch, 5186 or 75 per cent have won unopposed. Almost all of them are in interior areas with little administrative presence.

Of 1,107 panch in Narayanpur, the seat of Abujhmaad, 938 were elected unopposed. Of 2,169 panch in Bijapur, 1,785 were elected unopposed, while 1,335 of 1,709 panch in Dantewada, and 1,128 of 1,978 panch in Sukma won unopposed.

The results mirror 2010, when 10,980 of  21,194 panch, and 181 of 1,438 sarpanch were elected unopposed in Bastar. ADG (Naxal Ops) RK Vij “welcomed the move as people are joining democracy”, but cautioned “we will have to ensure that there is no misuse of funds”. Panchayats, as constitutional bodies, hold immense financial powers.

Recently, CM Raman Singh had released Rs 150 crore for gram panchayats. A gram panchayat constitutes a sarpanch and around 10 panch.

Underlining the significance of panchayats, Chhattisgarh’s Chief Election Commissioner P C Dalai told The Indian Express: “Many of the social security schemes like rural employment generation programmes, old age pension are implemented directly through Panchayats.  They constitute the real democracy at the grassroots.”

Various studies suggest that a little or no work takes place in interior Bastar, but funds are mostly shown spent. The most recent case is of Dantewada, which won the award for best implementation of MNREGA, incidentally when the panchayat polls were on.

An officer who has worked in the area said: “Collectors are strictly asked to not travel beyond a point. Who will monitor the schemes? We have to rely on these panch only.”

Another officer shared his experience of nearly a decade ago when he tried to visit some interior areas for inspecting schemes in Sukma, but was stopped by others citing the Maoist threat. “Years later, the local MLA told me that I was fooled as they did not want me to visit the site,” he said.