QUESTIONS REGARDING PROJECT SELECTION AND VERIFICATION

QUESTIONS REGARDING PROJECT SELECTION AND VERIFICATION

10-OCT-ENG 5

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------A serious issue has come to light regarding the selection and implementation of development projects in the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat of Bhojpur district. It is alleged that a proposal was tabled during the Nagar Panchayat's Empowered Board meeting to re-execute projects that had already been completed six months prior. This has sparked questions concerning project selection, site verification, and the potential misuse of government funds.

One specific case relates to 'Tajiya Chowk' in Ward No. 2 of the Nagar Panchayat. According to available geo-tagged photographs and information from locals, Tajiya Chowk was constructed through the mutual cooperation and voluntary contributions of the local residents. Despite this, the local councilor proposed a beautification project for Tajiya Chowk during the Empowered Board meeting held on September 9. It has been revealed that this proposal was recorded in the meeting's proceedings register.

Subsequently, during the Empowered Board meeting held on October 9, the proposals adopted in the previous meeting were ratified. Reports indicate that the proposal for the beautification of Tajiya Chowk was also approved as part of this process.

According to available information, several roads within the Nagar Panchayat area had already been completed approximately six months ago. Despite several roads being in excellent condition, a proposal to reconstruct them was adopted during the meeting on September 9 and subsequently ratified in the meeting on October 9. This has raised serious questions regarding the processes of project selection and site verification. Furthermore, demands for an investigation have arisen due to concerns that public funds might be spent on projects that have already been completed.

Former Deputy Chief Councilor Md. Mokhtar Sah stated that the Executive Officer should physically verify the projects recorded in the proceedings register at the actual sites. He remarked that the inclusion of a proposal to re-execute already completed projects indicates a major irregularity.

Md. Mokhtar Sah asserted that if projects were approved without site verification, the possibility of the misuse of public funds cannot be ruled out. He demanded an investigation into the relevant projects and urged that the actual status be made public.

Former Deputy Chief Councilor Gupteshwar Sah also termed the proposal to re-execute completed projects as an improper procedure. He questioned the basis on which the Nagar Panchayat's Empowered Board introduced a proposal for the reconstruction or beautification of 'Taziya Chowk'—a structure that had already been built by local residents through public contributions.

He stated that this entire matter raises serious questions about the Nagar Panchayat's project monitoring and financial accountability mechanisms. Gupteshwar Sah demanded an inquiry based on the records of the Empowered Board meeting held on September 9 and the projects ratified during the October 9 meeting.

Meanwhile, Executive Officer Shubham Kumar explained that the project proposals adopted in the previous meeting were ratified by the Empowered Board during the October 9 meeting.

He stated that the ratification of the proposals took place in the presence of Chief Councilor Jugnu Devi and Empowered Standing Committee members Manoj Kumar Paswan, Hiralal Pandey, and Sagir Sah, in the absence of Deputy Chief Councilor Jhuniya Devi. was carried out.