The Sundargarh Vigilance trapped 12 State Government officials, including one from Jharsuguda and another from Sambalpur between June 2012 and September 2014.
Though corruption has increased manifold, the low number of raids and arrests in nearly the last one and a half years has pointed a finger at the alertness of the vigilance.
In 2012, RI Birmitrapur Mukteswar Naik, Rajgangpur tehsildar Saroj Kumar Biswal and Bonei Police Station ASI Prabhakar Panda were arrested while taking bribes to show undue favour.
In 2013 Brajarajnagar based OPM High School headmaster Biswanath Dehury, Koira tehsil clerk Bulurary Naik, Gurundia hospital Pharmacist Sanat Kumar Mohanty were arrested for receiving bribes.
In 2014, Rangadhipa UP School headmistress Sahebeni Naik, RI Basanta Kumar Mishra, and ARI Sisir Kumar Behera of Sole Revenue Circle under Gurundia block, Ratanpur panchayat executive officer Surendra Singh, Bamara tehsil head clerk lalit Mohan Pattnaik, Sundargarh tehsil clerk Sushanta Tudu, Tangarpali and lepripada Tehsildar Ranjan Kumar Parida were arrested for several irregularities.
However, the 12 trapping cases are too less compared to the rising corruption in every sphere of life. The intellectuals have opined that the vigilance should be more active to contain corruption that is now rising at an alarming level putting the common people at great hardship.
Sundargarh Vigilance DSP P Kisan himself has acknowledged that the trapping figures are low. “People in greater numbers should come forward and lodge complaints against the corrupt officials who are asking for bribe or are taking bribe so that vigilance will be more active,” he said.
“We are rewarding people who are coming forward to lodge complaint against the corrupt Government officials. People, who are becoming victim of corrupt officials, should come forward and inform us to take action against the officials,” said Sambalpur division vigilance SP JN Pankaj.