JAGATSINGHPUR: After detection of Term Deposit Rates (TDRs) fraud to the tune of Rs 21.07 lakh in the district rural development (RD), fake TDRs worth Rs 16.2 lakh, submitted by a Class-1 contractor to procure some key tenders in the district drainage division, have come to the fore.
Sources said contractor Bishnu Charan Malla of Baijanaga village had cheated the department by depositing fake TDRs at the time of finalisation of tenders against earnest money deposit (EMD). He submitted fake TDRs worth Rs 16.2 lakh for construction of Thakurnali-Goitha Bandha, Ekagharikia-Shadabedi and Japa-Botigaon drain work on December 6 during 2016-17.
The TDRs submitted by the contractor were sent to Bank of Baroda, Jagatsinghpur branch for authentication. The bank has reported that the TDRs worth Rs 16.2 lakhs are either fake or have expired. Later, the division officials sent a show cause notice to Malla who clarified that submission of fake TDRs by contractors during tender to get work is not new in the district. Other TDRs submitted by the contractor are also under scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer of Drainage Division Mukul Chandra Bera has lodged an FIR against Malla at Jagatsinghpur police station for submission of fake TDR. A case has been registered.
Earlier, fake TDRs worth Rs 21.07 submitted by Malla during 2016-17 were found in the district rural development department after the Central Bank of India, Jagatsinghpur branch authenticated it. The contractor had submitted fake TDRs for construction of a road project valued at Rs 1.6 crore against EMD under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Similar cases of submission of fake TDRs were also reported from irrigation and public works department (PWD).
Executive Engineer of RD department Manoranjan Pattnaik had also filed an FIR at Jagatsinghpur police station on Tuesday. But no action has been taken so far.Jagatsinghpur IIC Rajanikant Mishra said police have registered a case in this connection and investigation is on.