The women of the committee accused the former collector and the woman running the NGO =
= By forming a weavers cooperative society, they made away with lakhs of rupees =
= Now women are being sent notices asking them to deposit the amount =
*Kondagaon.* Women associated with Maa Danteshwari Weavers Cooperative Society Maryadit Bafna have been made debtors of lakhs of rupees to banks in the name of making them self-reliant. The women have accused the then collector and a woman of defrauding them.
In a press conference here, the victimized women alleged that in the name of their committee, the then collector Neelkanth Tekam and a woman named Saras Upadhyay, who runs an NGO, have embezzled lakhs of rupees. Committee chairperson Ganga Netam said that by hastily forming the committee, former collectors Neelkanth Tekam and Saras Upadhyay have betrayed us. Ganga Netam told that in the name of providing employment to Naxalite victim families and other needy women, Ma Danteshwari Weavers Cooperative Society Limited was formed by former collector Neelkanth Tekam. Neelkanth Tekam had appointed a woman named Saras Upadhyay for the operation and accounting of this committee and other work. Saras Upadhyay used to transact whatever amount came to the committee on the orders of former collector Mr. Tekam. An amount of more than Rs 40 lakh was released for making uniforms and an amount of more than Rs 10 lakh was released for other work. The women of the committee told that Saras Upadhyay got this entire amount transferred to his accounts. Now, to recover the said amount, the district administration is issuing notices to the women asking them to deposit the amount. The women said that they have been complaining to the present Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kondagaon and the police station for a year and demanding investigation against the former collector and Saras Upadhyay, who had embezzled more than Rs 40 lakh, but the officers are not investigating and Are not taking action. The victimized tribal women said that they were cheated in the name of forming a weavers’ cooperative society. Secretary of the committee, Sulekha said that we were made the president and secretary of the committee, but we never applied for the formation of a cooperative society. did. After the formation of the committee, money was also released to us in the name of the committee for further work. Then we thought that since we had taken training in handloom, perhaps the senior officials of the district wanted to promote us, that is why we agreed to everything they said. Now we are being harassed mentally and financially. We are being harassed by issuing notice after notice for the loan or money which we never took. He told that the entire matter is from the year 2018 to 2020. When the committee was receiving lakhs of rupees from time to time in the name of work, but at the behest of the senior officer, the said amount in the committee’s account was paid from time to time to another NGO through cheque. On the request of an administrative officer posted here, we had given our check book to the director of that NGO and she used to do all the documentary work of the committee. That’s why she had already taken our signatures on the blank page of the check book, saying that if ever the need arose, where would I look for you guys. He told that we also have some documentary evidence, which has been obtained under the Right to Information. We have also applied to the SP to investigate the matter one and a half years ago. He also met the Collector and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, but till now no action has been taken on the matter. Ganga and Sulekha said that we want a thorough investigation of this matter, so that milk becomes milk and water becomes water. Because we are being given notices again and again for work that we have not done and we are getting mentally disturbed by this.
*Box*
*Women will march to Raipur on 25th*
Troubled by the lack of impartial investigation into the case, the women have now decided to appeal to the Chief Minister. The victimized women will leave on foot from Kondagaon for Raipur on September 25 to meet the Chief Minister. The victimized tribal women said that when no action is being taken on their applications at the local level, they will now meet the Chief Minister and complain about the entire matter and demand an investigation from him. For this, she will start a foot march from the district headquarters to the capital on September 25.
