Anuradha Talwar, member of Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, who is in the US, due to personal commitments, was very happy to hear the court’s ruling. The PBKMS has been relentlessly pursuing the matter for the last couple of years at various levels.
Anuradha said: “This is the reward for the hard work done in keeping the demand alive. It was a hard struggle for all involved and it was so frustrating that there was no work for almost three years. Now, when the work starts, we, as well as the public, have to be vigilant that there is no more corruption involved. It is also worrisome that the Centre has made a new rule which says that 60 per cent of the MGNREGA funds will have to be exhausted in the first six months. It sounds a bit disturbing as the 100-days’ work is demand-based and that maximum demand comes in the later half of the year. What our lawyers demanded at the court today is that the scheme should be started and we are not much focused on the backlog.”