Assistant Engineer, PHED Gobardhan Sethi of Jatni, Khordha was arrested by the Vigilance police in a bribery case on Friday. Sethi was caught red-handed during a trap while demanding and accepting Rs 25,000 from complainant Sanjaya Kumar Pattnaik of Somanathpur, Khordha for measurement of the PHD work executed by Pattnaik. Pattnaik, who is a contractor, had executed renovation of an old pump house with construction of boundary wall at Mukundaprasad, Ward No. 22, Samantrapur amounting to Rs 2,16,291.
The work was completed in the month of March. Sethi inspected the work in the same month and demanded Rs 30,000 to measure the work.
Meanwhile, the rented residential house of Sethi located at Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar was searched and a case registered. In another graft case, Swadhin Kumar Sahoo, Junior Engineer, Electrical, CESU, Ranpur Section under Tangi Electrical Sub-Division, Nayagarh was arrested by Vigilance officials for demanding and accepting bribe.
Complainant Dillip Kumar Biswal of Ayar village, Jagatsinghpur, is working as Supervisor in Panchamukhi Electrical and Construction ltd. One Bharati Ifratel has constructed a telephone tower at Mahulia and they have entrusted the work of electrification of the tower to Biswal. Accordingly, after completion of the work, Biswal had applied before JE, Ranpur for charging the electric line.
For supplying the electric connection, JE Sahoo demanded Rs 5,000 from him. When Biswal expressed his inability to pay, Sahoo asked him to pay Rs 2,000. A trap was laid and Sahoo was caught red-handed. The rented residential house of Sahoo located at Ranpur was searched and a case registered.