Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): The construction of a community hall in the Nayapura village under the Ichhwar Janpad Panchayat has remained incomplete for ten years because of alleged misuse of funds.
The half-built hall stands in ruins as its foundation has started weakening amid growing grass and bushes.
According to reports, the legislator sanctioned Rs 10 lakh from his MLA local area development fund for the construction of the hall.
The Gram Panchayat received the first instalment of Rs 4 lakh for the work, but the then Sarpanch and secretary allegedly committed financial irregularities. As a result, the amount fell short of the required funds.
Sources in the Gram Panchayat said when an engineer assessed the quality and amount of work done with the money, he came across several irregularities.
Afterwards, the Panchayat did not get any funds to continue the project.
Sources further said that the misuse of funds by the then sarpanch and secretary led to the stoppage of the work, spawning resentment among the villagers.
Present Sarpanch Roop Singh Thakur said because the building remained incomplete, the administration did not give approval for the construction of a new hall.
According to Singh, the villagers hire community halls even for organising small functions.
He alleged the then Sarpanch and secretary had misused the funds sanctioned for the building.
Former Gram Panchayat secretary Rajendra Vishwakarma said, ''We received the first instalment of Rs 4 lakh and carried out the work. We waited for the second instalment, but it never came to us.''
He further said he did not know what happened afterwards since the administration shifted to another panchayat.
