BARIPADA: After allegations of bribery in the selection of candidates for ward coordinator posts at Karanjia NAC came to the fore, several aspirants staged dharna in front of the Karanjia sub-collector office on Friday demanding cancellation of appointment.
The move came after a WhatsApp conversation between an NAC official and a candidate went viral on social media. Sources said around 50 self-help group members had appeared for walk-in interview for the said post on April 5, 2023 and the results of appointment were declared two days back.
The agitators alleged that the selection committee, instead of selecting the deserving candidates, took bribe of Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh from some ineligible candidates for their selection for the ward coordinator posts.
They further complained that despite provision that a candidate must be selected from her own ward, the authorities selected one Banashree Prusty, originally belonging to ward no 11, for the coordinator post at ward no 10. Similarly, another candidate Jinat Singh of ward no 12, was selected for coordinator post at ward no 9.
Jharana Prusty, an applicant of ward no 10 said she along with two other candidates from her ward had appeared for the coordinator post for their ward but the selection committee rejected their names and instead appointed Banashree in the position though she belonged from a different ward.
Sharing her WhatsApp conversation with senior project manager of Karanjia NAC Soubhagya Sikat Pattanayak, Jharana said the latter informed her that those candidates who allegedly paid bribe to the officials, were selected for appointment.
“Due to such corruption, many active SHG members who have also received training in computer science, were rejected and others despite being ineligible, selected for appointment. So we demand that the names of selected candidates be immediately cancelled and eligible candidates recruited,” she added.
The agitators further threatened of staging dharna for an indefinite period and meeting the collector in this regard if no action is taken within a week. NAC chairperson Popi Prusty said she was not a part of the selection committee.