Odisha Lokayukta files complaint with vigilance court for ‘false’ charges

Jnanaranjan Dash in May last year lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta levelling corruption allegations against two Bhubaneswar rural works division officials

Published on: Jan 25, 2024, 21:45:45 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: TheOdisha Lokayukta has filed a complaint with a vigilance court against a person for levelling false allegations of corruption against two engineers working in Bhubaneswar rural works division.

The two engineers submitted photographs of the road indicating that it was in a good condition

Jnanaranjan Dash in May last year lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta alleging that Bhubaneswar rural works division’s superintending engineer Ashok Behera and assistant executive engineer Prakash Pal defalcated funds from the amount allocated for construction of a road from Jamujhari to Guptapada in Khurda district. Dash alleged that substandard materials were used for its construction and the two engineers misappropriated a sizeable amount from the ₹5 lakh sanctioned for construction of the road.

The two engineers submitted photographs of the road that indicated it was in a good condition. The Lokayukta order said on September 30, Dash sent a petition through his lawyer to withdraw his complaint against the two engineers.

Following this, an order was passed in the Lokayukta office to proceed against Dash under Section 46 (1) of Lokayukta Act, 2014, by filing a complaint against him in the Vigilance court in Bhubaneswar.

Das, however, said he has filed another application before the Lokayukta seeking to pursue the complaint. “The Lokayukta’s investigation wing did not do proper inquiry. I still have the proof against the two engineers,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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