Odisha Govt Acts Tough, Sacks Three Corrupt Officials

Bhubaneswar: Taking stringent action against corrupt officials, the Odisha Government today sacked three officials, against whom the Vigilance had registered cases.

Basanta Kumar Behera, Dhenkanal RTO, Dillip Kumar Nag, Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Cuttack and Sarat Chandra Panda, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Khariar Division in Nuapada have been compulsorily retired from services on corruption charges, sources said.

Behera while posted as RTO, Dhenkanal is involved in two vigilance cases. He was booked by State Vigilance in 2018 for acquiring assets in his name and in the name of his family members, which are disproportionate to the tune of more than Rs 2.5 crores to his known legal sources of income.

During house search, cash of more than Rs.3 lakhs was seized. He was arrested and forwarded to the court. He was placed under suspension on July 6 last year.

Besides, he was also booked in another case by State Vigilance in 2014 for disappropriation of government revenue of Rs.4,62,382  towards collection of tax and penalties of different vehicles during his incumbency as RTO, Bargarh.
He is one of the most corrupted officers in Transport Department, sources said.

Dillip Kumar Nag, who was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Cuttack in 2012, was  booked by the State Vigilance in a disproportionate assets case for acquiring assets in his name and in the name of his family members, to the tune of more than Rs 1.5 crores to his known legal sources of income.

Cash of more than Rs.47.5 lakhs was seized during house search. This is the second highest seizure of cash from the house of a government servant in Odisha.

He was arrested and forwarded to the court. He was placed under suspension from 20.11.2012 to 3.3.2015.

Nag has neither obtained any permission nor did he furnish any information regarding transactions of moveable and immoveable properties acquired by him. These are violations of provisions of Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959.

Sarat Chandra Panda, who was posted as Deputy Conservator of Forests, Khariar
Division in Nuapada district in 2017, was booked by the State Vigilance in a disproportionate assets case for acquiring assets in his name and in the name of his family members, to the tune of more than Rs 4.5 crores to his known legal sources of income. During investigation of the case, bank deposits of more than Rs.4 crores was found in his name and his family members.

It was ascertained that the cash was deposited by him during demonetisation in Nov 2016 in the accounts of his family members. This is highest detection of cash in the account of a government servant & family members in Odisha.