While the Odisha Khadi and Gramodyog Board (OK&GB) is yet to register production to a satisfactory mark, spending of major chucks of sanctioned money on tours of its chairman and other top officials has raised many an eyebrow.
As per reports, OK&GB Chairman Tejeswar Parida has made 102 tours to different parts of the State in 130 days between June 3 last year and July, 30 this year and taken Rs 3.46 lakh as advance for the purpose.
It is alleged that he has maintained tour diary without visiting the areas mentioned in his diary, thereby availing tour package illegally.
For instance, sources said Parida has maintained in his tour diary that he has visited the DJ unit of one Trusarkant Swain in Konark area on October 24 last year. But Swain himself informed the board Secretary in writing that neither Parida nor other top officials of the board had visited his unit on that particular day, added the sources.
In another instance, though Parida’s tour diary has maintained that he had visited an Ayurvedic Medicine Unit of one Bihuti Bhusan Mohapatra of Baligodi in Puri district on June 6, 2015, he did not visit the same so far as the written statement of Mohapatra to the board Secretary is concerned.
It is alleged that Parida is touring various places obtaining fund as advance violating Section (262) (5) of the OGFR. As per practice, once advance money is sanctioned, the obtainer has to submit the tour bill to the authorities within a month from the tour, failing which no further advance will be sanctioned against his/her name. But Parida is violating the guidelines, alleged sources.
Sources further stated that in the 2014-15 fiscal, while a total of Rs 2,46,755 was deposited in the bank account of Parida as advance, only Rs 46,741 was adjusted. As a result, Rs 2.14 lakh is still pending with Parida.
It is further alleged that though Parida is staying in a Government quarters at Unit-IX here, he is also availing Rs 7,500 as house rent.
Meanwhile on Friday, BJD Yuva Morcha activists staged a demonstration in front of the OK&GB office alleging misappropriation of the board’s money.
The activists blocked the road by burning tyres in front of the office demanding an impartial inquiry into the alleged irregularities by the board Chairman.