The district Congress here, alleging that large scale financial irregularities have taken place in Kalama gram panchayat under Jaleswar block, demanded a Vigilance probe into the scam. The Congress also pointed finger at a local BJD leader alleging he is involved in the fund bungling.
The Congress leaders claimed that they had documentary proofs against the accused and threatened to take to streets if no action was initiated within a week. “Today we will be submitting a memorandum to the district Collector as well as SP Vigilance, and if no action was taken within a week, we would be resorting to agitation,” warned Odisha State Pradesh Committee spokesperson Sudarshan Das. Das alleged that money to the tune of about Rs 35 lakh has been withdrawn from a bank account of the GP between 2017 and 2020 in the name of two persons, Laxminarayan Behera who is husband of the incumbent Sarpanch and Gour Charan Hui, a peon in the neighbouring Baradiha panchayat.
In the name of Hui while about Rs 21 lakh was withdrawn, in the name of Behera over Rs 13 lakh was withdrawn from the accounts through cheques. The cash book didn’t in, several cases, reflect the purpose of withdrawal and in several cases, the signatures of the Sarpanch were forged, Das alleged further alleging that the bungling has been committed at the behest of a ruling BJD leader. The Kalama panchayat is a tribal- dominated area and most of the inhabitants are poor and illiterate, he maintained.
Das further said that the ruling BJD under CM Naveen Pataink’s leadership while was making propaganda of bringing transparency in the system and fixing accountability through 5T, the scam has exposed the hollowness of the claims. Congress district president Sanjiv Giri and block president, Jaleswar, Rajib Parida were present.