District Collector Amrit Ruturaj recently directed the BDO of Kendrapada to issue show-cause notice to a Junior Engineer, a Sarpanch, a VLW and a GRS on allegation of large scale of corruption in MGNREGS projects.
The Government officials allegedly by making an unholy nexus with the local Sarpanch managed to loot money by engaging machines instead of job cardholders.
The corruption came to the fore in Baro panchayat recently when a social audit report was submitted to the BDO of Kendrapada. In the report it has been cited that a sum of Rs 1.33 lakh has been withdrawn only for wages on the MNREGS work of developing the playground of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya without producing measurement book and bill ,which is purely illegal.
Similarly, large scale corruption was made in Baro playground developmental work ,that was made with an estimated cost of Rs 3 lakh and construction of a rural park with an estimated cost of Rs 1 lakh near Tarando high school under the MGNREGS projects. Acting on the direction of district Collector, Kendrapada BDO Aswini Dash, accompanied by other staff and JE, visited Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya playground to conduct inquiry and found that machine was engaged instead of beneficiaries .To their surprise, they came to know that money was withdrawn for wages without opening measurement book. Some ward members of Baro GP led by Naib sarpanch Basant Nayak had raised their protest against the irregularities and had demanded action against corrupt officials. They had threatened to hold a fast unto death from March 1.
As a result , acting on preliminary inquiry and finding corruption was made in developmental works, BDO of Kendrapada on Friday issued so cause notices to JE Gopal Chandra Das, Sarpanch Sushila Rout, VLW Bauribandhu Pradhan and GRS Nalinikanta Mohanty. They were directed to submit their reply in three days.