The BJD Government has come under severe criticism from the Opposition Congress and the BJP after the Justice RK Patra Commission of Enquiry probing the multi-crore chit fund scam admitted that the database of the defrauded investors has not been prepared yet owing to lack of requisite infrastructure.
The Opposition parties have questioned the Government’s commitment to return money to the deceived investors from the Government’s promised Rs300-crore corpus fund. According to former Congress MP Pradeep Majhi, the Government has been hoodwinking the investors for last one and a half years on the pleas of a corpus fund and the RK Patra Commission. The commission has said that only a scrutiny process is in progress and database has not been prepared as yet.
As per the official estimate, around eight lakh investors have been duped to the tune of Rs5,000 crore by the chit fund firms. Justice Patra has said that after a database is prepared, notices would be served to the Government and the chit fund firms, following which hearing would commence in accordance with law. Only then can the process of returning money to these investors begin.
BJP leader Suresh Pujari said that were the Government serious about returning money to the investors, it could have employed its staff to prepare the database of duped investors and the amount of money collected by the firms from them. In view of the present staff strength of the commission, it would take years to prepare a database. If the Government prepares a database and files an affidavit, the commission can verify its veracity which could speed up the process.
Sources said that even as the process of scrutiny of affidavits is still on, 2,46,897 sealed envelopes still remain to be opened. This could take at least three months. Besides, 3,28,582 affidavits have not been scrutinised or categorised. The 2,02,166 affidavits which have been scrutinised are pending digitisation. As for the Patra Commission’s functioning, a Government counsel has not yet been appointed. Though the commission has served three notices in the past, the Government is yet to respond to it.
The Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) was entrusted with the responsibility to complete the digitisation process. Maharashtra-based Seal Projects ltd was awarded the tender to install computers at the commission’s office. However, it has not even begun its operations here. Meanwhile, the Patra Commission’s tenure has already been given three extensions.