A massive misappropriation of funds under the Horticulture Mission Programme in Keonjhar district has come to the fore with officials confirming that false plantations were recorded for 500 hectares of land across Ghasipura, Hatadihi and Anandpur blocks of the district.
Acting on a complaint lodged by Ghasipura block Chairman Debashis Patra, Watershed Project Director Arun Kumar Das and Anandpur Sub-Collector Dr Maheswar Swain conducted a joint inquiry and found that no plantation activity was taken up in any patch of 500 hectares of land identified for the purpose while records showed plantations have already been taken up there.