Champua: The government is spending lakhs of rupees for roadside plantation. But the money spent on this to make the environment green in Champua block has gone down the drain.
Gopinathpur village of Parsala panchayat under Champua block can be taken as an example.
Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), more than 400 saplings were planted along both sides of the road from Gopinathpur to Aradei River, spending Rs 3,00,000.
A sign board was put up mentioning the avenue plantation with some vital facts missing and workdays were created for labourers. After plantation, tree guards were put up to save the saplings from being grazed by cattle.
“Generally, plantation is carried out in rainy season. But here, the saplings were planted in the fag end of the rainy season. Worst, no proper care was provided. As a result, the saplings started to wither within some days after the plantation. Just four months later, more than half of the saplings were found completely damaged,” some local residents said.
Many of the survived saplings can be seen without tree guards. Some saplings can be fund covered with mosquito nets. “The entire amount of Rs 3,00,000 has gone to waste,” the fume villagers alleged.
Gram Rojgar Sevak (GRS) Shani Sahu said that a bill amounting to Rs 1,00,000 has been passed.
The concerned department’s engineer has made his point clear on the plantation that if the saplings die, the rest of the bill amount would not be passed.
“I have intimated the engineer’s decision to the gaon sathi workers. Within the next 10 days, new saplings will be planted in place of dead ones and proper care will be taken so that they don’t die,” he added.
PNN