Residents block key stretch near Katpadi demanding payment of pending wages under MGNREGA scheme

Residents in Thirumani village, Vellore, block road demanding MGNREGS wages, water supply, and infrastructure development.

After waiting for several months, residents, mostly women, blocked the Vallimalai Main Road at Thirumani village, around 10 km from Katpadi in Vellore, on Wednesday, demanding immediate release of pending wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Residents said Thirumani village comprises of nine wards that fall under Katpadi panchayat union in Vellore district. The village consists of 15 remote hamlets with around 3,500 families. Most of the residents are farmers and agricultural workers. They depend on work provided under the scheme to augment their regular income from farm work. “Creation of ponds, work to deepen small waterbodies and tree plantations form part of the major works undertaken in the village under the scheme. For nearly 20 months, workers were not paid their wages under the scheme,” said G. Valarmathi, a resident. 

With soaring temperatures in recent weeks, water supply to households including street corner tanks have not been provided by the local panchayat on a regular basis. Irregular supply of water has made residents travel at least 5 to 10 km to fetch a few pots of water from Katpadi and K.V. Kuppam towns. Small waterbodies like ponds were created under the scheme in the village to store excess rainwater and help in recharging groundwater in the village. “Local officials of DRDA were not responding to our pleas for releasing pending wages under the scheme. Workers in neighbouring villages have received pending wages recently but we were left out,” said C. Kumudha, another resident. 

Around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, residents blocked the stretch, demanding resumption of water supply. They also seized a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus, which was on its way to Vellore town from Latteri.

Based on an alert, the Katpadi police and revenue officials rushed to the spot and pacified the agitated residents, who dispersed peacefully after assurance from authorities. The DRDA officials said most of the workers in the village were employed for 100 days in a year, mainly on water conservation efforts as the region is an arid area. They were also roped in to dig public wells in the village to provide regular water supply for domestic consumption. Water from these new farm wells were pumped to 12 Over Head Tanks (OHTs) in the village to provide water through pipelines and street corner taps. 

DRDA officials said that delay in payment of pending wages was mainly due to non-release of funds by the State government. Pending wages are being released in phases to be paid to workers in the district. Despite non-payment of pending wages, work has been allotted to workers to create permanent infrastructure facilities in the village. “Payment of pending wages to workers will be done soon. Wages for workers, who have completed their total working hours, will not be withheld,” said a DRDA official.