A day after conducting raids at the Talcher-based Pradhan Gas Agency (HP) owned by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s elder brother Soumendra Pradhan, the State Vigilance police on Monday booked Soumendra and three others on charges of irregularities.
Besides Soumendra, the Vigilance registered cases against Rashmikanta Mohapatra (Manager), Nilu Sahu (warehouse supervisor) of the agency and one Debraj Panda, another gas agency owner from nearby South Bolanda who used to receive gas cylinders from the Pradhan Gas Agency illegally for selling.
The four were booked under several Sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Indian Explosives Act. Besides, they are also booked under Sections 285 (negligent conduct), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Vigilance Director Dr RP Sharma told reporters here that a DSP-rank officer is investigating the case and no one was arrested in this connection yet.
During a surprise inspection by Vigilance on Saturday on the gas agency, it was detected shortage of 40 cylinders in it. The missing 40 cylinders, issued in the names of different consumers, were allegedly sold to another person without any valid documents, he stated.
But soon after Sharma’s media briefing, reports reaching here said a team of five Vigilance officers conducted a fresh round of raid at Pradhan’s gas agency at Talcher on Monday evening.
The Vigilance DG said that basing on the allegations of black-marketing of cooking gas, adulteration of diesel, petrol and lubricants and their sale in lesser quantities, joint surprise raids are now being conducted across the State by Vigilance officers in association with officers from the Departments of Civil Supplies and legal Metrology.
While raids were conducted at three places on December 31 last, at least 17 places were raided on January 14 and 10 places were raided on Monday. The Monday’s raids included the Cuttack city-based gas agency of Parthsarathi Behera, who is a cousin of Sadar Cuttack BJD MlA Chandrasarathi Behera. Sharma refused to comment on the BJP’s allegation that the recent Vigilance raids on the cooking gas agency of the senior BJP leader’s brother were “politically motivated”. “I have nothing to say or react over such criticisms,” he said and did not take any further question on it.