Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged corruption in construction of the Gurupriya Bridge in Malkangiri district.
“The Principal Accountant General (PAG) has revealed that around Rs 4 crore has been paid in excess to the contractor company fraudulently.
The real picture of the State Government, which claims to be transparent, is open to the public now. A CBI probe should be ordered for the whole matter,” demanded Niranjan Patnaik at a Press meet here.
Patnaik said Rs 74 crore has been unnecessarily paid to the contractor company. He said Rs 24 crore for boat and tube and Rs 4 crore for launching girders and other proposes violated OPWD norms.
He wanted to know how the project cost increased from Rs 104.38 crore to Rs 174.58 crore by 2017 September.
Similarly, the BJP said payment of excess money to the contractor, as revealed by the PAG, has revealed the ruling BJD’s real face.
“A total of Rs 73.91 crore of the funds of the Gurupriya Setu has been bungled. While the Gammon India had agreed to work at Rs 90.503 crore in 2010, why the State Government rejected its proposal and awarded the work to Royal Infra for Rs 187 crore,” wanted to know BJP State spokesperson Golak Mohapatra.
Mohapatra too alleged the contractor was allowed to take 10% per cent profit against norm of 7.5 per cent and 25 per cent overhead charge against norm of 7.5 per cent fraudulently. Spending of Rs 20 lakh for construction of a metre of bridge is another example that establishes corrupt practices of the State Government, he alleged.