MALKANGIRI: The highest ever cash seizure - of about Rs 1.36 crore - from an engineer of the Rural Development department in Malkangiri district has blown the lid off the rampant corruption in the region where the State government has pumped in a huge amount of funds for development.
Vigilance sleuths, during the fourth day of their operation on Monday, recovered Rs 1.15 crore and 632 gm gold including biscuits and coins from Malkangiri Rural Development-I Superintending Engineer Ashish Kumar Dash’s flat near Cuttack.
Earlier, Rs 21.75 lakh and 602 gm of gold was recovered by the anti-corruption wing from his government quarter and office. The total recovery of Rs 1.36 crore in cash and 1.2 kg gold is the highest in the history of Odisha Vigilance.
At the same time, it has exposed the depths of corruption in the region. According to Vigilance DSP Sushant Kumar Biswal, apart from Rs 1.15 crore in cash, the sleuths stumbled upon gold coins of various weight - 45 coins (10 gram), 16 coins (5 gram) two biscuits (50 gram) and 19 coins (10 mg).
During the search, details of 12 accounts in Axis Bank operated by Dash were unearthed in which Rs 2.25 crore cash deposits were made by him. Earlier, deposits worth Rs 1.77 crore were unearthed. With this, the engineer’s bank deposits stood at Rs 4 crore in the shape of fixed deposits, savings, and insurances.
In wake of the discovery of such wealth, the Media Forum here has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to investigate corruption in the Rural Development department.
It demanded that the district administration must conduct a high-level probe into all the bills passed by the Superintending Engineer in favour of contractors till now, including the month of March.
Allegations are rife that bills against all works including the Rs 300 crore road construction in Swabhiman Anchal passed by the engineer should be put on hold till a probe is conducted.