The Odisha Lokayukta has served a notice to Dharmasala BJD MLA Pranab Balabantaray and five others in connection with the damage of an irrigation embankment road in Jajpur district by dynamites during the floods in August.
The five others who have been issued the notice include officials of the Works and Water Resources Departments and the then Jajpur Collector. They have been asked to submit their responses within next six weeks. The next hearing of the case is December 12.The Lokayukta issued the notice while hearing a complaint lodged by RTI activist Sarbeswar Beura.
As per the complaint, a 20-km irrigation embankment road from Gokarneswar on NH-5 to Budhalinga Majhipada that prevented water of the Kelua river entering farmlands was damaged by dynamites on August 28.
Around 4,000 hectares of paddy crop in seven gram panchayats of the district were submerged in floodwater after the embankment was blown off.The RTI activist has alleged that it was conspired to destroy the embankment during the MLA’s visit to the flood-affected areas.
The local MLA and a Junior Engineer of Roads and Buildings were involved in the conspiracy to suppress irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the construction work.
It was alleged that the Junior Engineer is the MLA’s maternal uncle.“Nearly Rs 22 crore was sanctioned for construction of the embankment in 2016.
Though the project was scheduled for completion by 2018, it was delayed and the sanction amount was increased to Rs 24.47 crore due to intervention by the MLA,” the RTI activist has alleged, adding that the construction of the embankment had begun in 2019 and the civil work was of very poor standard.