BHUBANESWAR: Senior IAS officer Vinod Kumar, one of the key accused in the rural housing scam after the 1999 Super Cyclone in Odisha, was dismissed from service on charges of corruption on Wednesday. The move came after the Centre approved the Odisha government proposal in this regard.
During his tenure as the managing director of Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC) in 1999, the 1989-batch IAS officer had sanctioned housing funds to the tune of Rs 33.34 crore through unfair means when rural housing was taken up in a big scale after the Super Cyclone.
He is also accused of granting loans to real estate firms/contractors and NGOs without verifying house construction/reconstruction after the Super Cyclone. Sources said the basic norms of inspection, verification and collaterals were flouted in disbursal of loans during 2000-01.
In 2018, the Special Vigilance Court had convicted Kumar for financial irregularities in the ORHDC and sentenced him to three years of imprisonment. The State government had slapped 27 Vigilance cases against Kumar of which, he has been convicted in two.
With zero tolerance towards corruption, the State government has given compulsory retirement to a number of officers including senior IFS officer Abhay Kanta Pathak.
Last year, 254 cases were disposed off after investigation and of them chargesheets of 244 cases against 551 persons were submitted in courts. Six Class III employees were dismissed from government service and 10 others were awarded compulsory retirement during the period.