Officials embezzling lakhs of rupees under the pretext of erecting a park near the medieval Baladevjew temple at Ichhapur has raised eyebrows here.
If sources are to be believed, the Kendrapada Municipality had chalked out a plan to erect a park for the devotees and tourists of the 300-year-old Baladevjew temple here in 2008. The State Urban Development Department had funded Rs 40 lakh to the district administration under the Central Monument and Heritage Development Project for the temple’s beautification and developmental work, including setting up of a garden near the temple along with providing boating facilities to the tourists within the park.
later, the municipality council spent Rs 10 lakh on setting up of the park near the temple. But it was stopped mid way as a large scale of misappropriation occurred. The new civic council that was formed more than one- and- a -half years back took an initiative to complete the temple park construction work.
As a result, the civic body in an unholy nexus with former executive officer of the Kendrapada Municipality Srikant Dash, without inviting tender, allegedly entrusted an outside contractor to construct the remaining work of the park along with installing special items like fiber elephant, giraffe and modern iron chairs. The contractor installed the special items worth about Rs 10 lakh in the park but he is yet to get his bill payment. Due to lack of proper maintenance and night security guard, the items were damaged.
locals alleged due to lack of watchman to guard the park at night and boundary wall, several illegal works took place in the park. It became a safe haven for the anti- socials and the locals for taking alchol and ganja inside the park. Not only this, even locals alleged that several time boys and girls were nabbed in awkward positions.
Meanwhile, the park has become a grazing ground for the cattle. Kendrapada civic body chairman Dhiren Kumar Sahu said that the former executive officer only by giving quotation for park construction work engaged a contractor from outside and the contractor installed special items. But as some of the items were damaged, the civic authority directed the contractor to stop the park construction work. Meanwhile, the boundary work is going to be completed and later the contractor would resume the pending work, he said. District Collector Niranjan Nayak stated that he would visit the spot and conduct an inquiry.