The Naveen Patnaik Government on Friday sent on compulsory retirement eight officials, including three Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers, accused of corruption.
A total of 130 government officers have so far been sent on compulsory retirement on grounds of immorality, inefficiency and lack of integrity.
Former tahsildar of Nimapara, Rama Chandra Jena, has three vigilance cases pending against him. During a recent search, ₹5 lakh in cash was recovered from him along with five PAN (Permanent Account Number) cards. He can no more return to the job, said the State Government.
Former deputy collector of Jagatsinghpur, Gouranga Charan Mohanty, who is facing seven vigilance cases for misappropriation of funds and irregularities in allotment in government schemes, has been shown the door.
Another OAS officer, Alphonce Bilung, former tahsildar of Lathikata, and present Block Development Officer of Ambabhona in Bargarh district, too faces three vigilance cases. He was accused of showing undue favour in realisation of land conversion fee and rent fee. Mr. Bilung has been dismissed from the job.
The prominent name in the dismissal list was of Bidhan Chandra Sahu, former Superintending Engineer of Irrigation, Baitarani Division. Last month, he was intercepted by Odisha Vigilance sleuths near Panikoili while carrying ₹10 lakh in cash which he could not account for satisfactorily.
Two Child Development Project Officers, Meena Patra and Pushpanjali Ratha in Kalahandi district, have been dismissed for demanding and accepting bribe of ₹1 lakh and ₹80,000 respectively. They were found to have accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The names of former Deputy Superintendent of Excise, Ajit Kumar Mohapatra, and former cashier in the Tihid Block, Pravakar Pradha, also figure in the list of eight dismissed government employees.
Highest amount
Recently, an engineer was found to have amassed properties worth ₹14.87 crore — 1,021% of his known sources of income. This was the highest disproportionate income ever unearthed by the Odisha Vigilance Directorate. The Directorate on Friday discovered documents relating to investment in share market and the total invested amount in shares and debentures by the engineer was ₹1.07 crore.
