BHUBANESWAR: Continuing its crackdown against the corrupt, the Odisha Government on Friday ordered compulsory retirement of eight officers.The eight include a tehsildars and an ex-superintending engineer. Both had recently been in Vigilance net. Rama Chandra Jena, a former tehsildar and in-charge sub-registrar, is one of the two to be given compulsory retirement. Jena has three vigilance cases against him. Cash of Rs 5 lakh was recovered from him along with multiple PAN cards during a recent search.
Following Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s zero tolerance towards corruption and inefficiency, the government has removed 130 corrupt officials so far. An ex-deputy collector in Jagatsinghpur district, Gouranga Charan Mohanty, with seven vigilance cases against him relating to misappropriation of government funds and irregularities has also been given compulsory retirement.
A tehsildar of Lathikata in Sundargarh district was removed from his service for three pending corruption cases. Sources said he had shown undue official favour in less realisation of land conversion and rent fee thereby causing loss to government. Bidhan Chandra Sahu, formerly superintending engineer of irrigation department in Keonjhar, too was handed compulsory retirement after he was intercepted by Vigilance in October during which Rs 10 lakh was found in his possession.
A child development project officer (CDPO) of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Kalahandi district, Meena Patra was apprehended accepting bribe of Rs 80,000 and she too was asked to go on compulsory retirement. Similarly, another former CDPO of ICDS project in Thuamul Rampur of Kalahandi district Puspanjali Ratha, who was allegedly accepting bribe of Rs 1 lakh for appointment of anganwadi worker, faced the same action. During raid, huge assets including a double-storey building at Balangir, a car, three plots, cash and investments in her and in the name of family members were found.
Similarly, Ajit Kumar Mohapatra, in-charge superintendent of excise in Deogarh district was apprehended by vigilance for accepting bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh on September 29. One single-storey building worth Rs 60 lakh in Berhampur town, two plots in Berhampur in his wife’s name and gold ornaments were found in his possession during raid.
Prabhakar Pradhan, a cashier of Tihidi block office in Bhadrak district had allegedly misappropriated government funds of more than Rs 20 lakh meant for payment to various beneficiaries by transferring them to the accounts of his wife and relatives. He also received compulsory retirement for lack of integrity.