By Mayukh Goswami (PNI)

Mangaldai : Public Health Engineering (PHE) Mangaldai Division , the Nodal Implementing Agency in Darrang district for the Swacch Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) , the dream project of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is under scanner over proper fund utilization . The Nodal Agency of the district  in last few months reportedly released fund in such a way that the head of account of the central flagship programme known for its huge fund flow went almost empty well before six months of the new budget allocation with a massive pending amount for payment in several crores of rupees . The matter has already created concern among the higher authority of the Minister Rihon Daimary run State PHE Department resulting a departmental probe . Jayanta Bortamuli , the in charge Additional Chief Engineer , Tezpur Circle has recently rushed to the district and reportedly verified the necessary papers in his day long stay . However the outcome of the probe yet to be known . On being approached the present Nodal officer cum the Executive Engineer of the PHE , Mangaldai Division , Jayanta Medhi did not rule out the visit of the senior official from Tezpur and inspecting the relevant documents . But he refused to comment on the reaction of the senior official while terming it a normal course of departmental inspection procedure .

However talking to this reporteNodal Officer, Medhi admitted they have even failed to pay the  monthly remuneration of the twelve contractual staff engaged in the scheme since the month of October . Moreover there is an outstanding payment of around Rs 34 crores for which they have made necessary correspondence with the government . He further informed that at the time of taking over charge from outgoing Nodal Officer Manabendra Bikash Dhar in the Month of November last the office has released an amount of Rs 30 crore for construction of 39,652 nos of Individual House Hold Latrine (IHHL) each against an estimated cost of Rs 12,000. “ The office needed fund for construction of 39,652 IHHLs in addition to two percent contingency for awareness and other relevant activities . We have submitted utilization Certificate for rupees thirty crores and demand for sanction of the outstanding amount of rupees thirty four crores .”, Nodal Officer Medhi included .” However the calculation of the cost of the said no of IHHL s and relevant contingency cost shows a huge disproportionate figure of not less than Rs 13 crores but the alleged misappropriation of fund during the tenure of the outgoing Nodal Officer in connivance with a section of dishonest office bearers of non government agencies , SHGs , contractors will come only after the completion of the probe