Despite frequent demands for a CBI probe into the alleged scam of over `34 crore in the under-construction RIDF bridge over river Khathajori in Cuttack, the State Government has still remained silent, seemingly to cover up wrongdoing of its high-profile officers.
A section of engineers has held Works Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan responsible for the inaction over the scam.
According to sources, there is a great technical move to give extra favour of `35 crore to the contractor, HES INFRA Pvt ltd, in addition to the original contract value of `95 crore which should be inquired into.
The company only before eight months of closure of its contract had given a comparative proposal on November 8 2013 to the EE (R&B) Cuttack, who then re-sent it to the SE, Cuttack (R&B) Circle three days later. As per the proposal, the agency had given an undertaking to execute the superstructure work by replacing the RCC cast-in-situ girder by precast RCC girders without any extra cost to the Department and there would be a time saving of nearly 22 months.
But without analysing the actual cost of the alternate proposal, the Works Secretary reportedly asked the EE and the SE to send the proposal and got it approved from the CM’s Office only explaining two reasons, one, time saving of 22 months and two, there would be no extra cost.
In the meantime, a deviation was found that the total cost of the work came to `108,18,65,161 in the revised proposal which exceeds the agreement value of `94,49,27,459 by `13,69,38,722, and this confusing excess amount of `13.69 crore was pointed out by the then SE (R&B) Circle asking the EE (R&B) to clarify the same vide a letter dated December 5, 2013 with a copy sent to the CE (World Bank).
Actually, it is found that soon after Pradhan became Works Secretary in September 2013, a plan was orchestrated to save the HES company from being imposed a 20-per cent penalty of the cost of the leftover work and also from being blacklisted for not completing the project within the scheduled time.
Sources too informed that the cost of the bridge has now enhanced from `95 crore to `126 crore.
Earlier, while Pradhan was Chief Engineer (R&B), five roof spans of the under-construction high-level bridge over the Mahanadi at Jatamundia on the Jatamundia-Subarnapur road had collapsed. In this case too, the Government has sat silent suspending the concerned SDO and JE only.
Even as the Rajlaxmi Constuction confessed weak work, the Government is yet to make public if any action taken against the company.