Bhubaneswar, Jan.17(Odisha.in) Members of several citizens groups, forums and senior citizens have demanded CBI probe into the large scale scam in Orissa Health System Development Peoject.
In which politicians and bureaucrats have alegedly misappropriated around Rs 400 crores of meant to provide better health infrastructure and facilities for the poor people of the State. The Project was implemented with World Bank finance.
According to Sachi Satpathy, member of five member Evaluation Team of the World Bank , ” the kind of assets created, equipments proqured, quality of construction being done are totally unacceptable in this civilised world. As the bank has given the money in the form of loan, Orissa people have to bear the burden of repaying it, without getting any benefit. ”
In an explosive document available with Odisha.in , Satpathy has mentioned, ” I have no words for this kind of mass-loots. Once I will be permitted by the managment, I will circulate the entire report in the forum. We have clearly mentioned the names of people, involved in this big rackets and detailed informations on how money has been shallowed , flaoting fraud equipments company etc. ”
After the World Bank’s report on misuse of massive funds by the Government officials and political bossess, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already appointed a committee headed by Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy to look into the allegations of misuse of funds in the OHSDP ; which many feel is meant to hush up the scandalous deals.
Since very senior politicians including ministers are involved in the scandal , no bureaucrat have the power to summon them for investigation.
Moreover, such a committee have no prosecution powers , so it would not be able to take any penal action against anybody even if it would found them guilty of misappropriating public money.
Reacting to appointment of such a committee , Satpathy said in a communication, ” I am surprised to find State Government’s recent annoucement of setting a committee to find out the details.
It is just waste of time or may be an attempt to save those corrupted people. When everything is before the government with photos and video clipings of around 80 hospitals, where is the point of going for another committee.
Just collect the details from the bank and take strigent action against people involved. This form of corruption is viewed as the biggest scandle in the world today.
The government should also look back to the details the project initiation part ( Prafulla Chandra Ghadai was the Health Minister and one of his close person was appointed as the project director of OHSDP and one Oriya IAS officer Mr P K Hota happened to be the Secretary Health , Government of India). We have established the detailed link of possible factors of corrpution in the project.”
Getting cue from Satpathy’s communication, Odidha.in found that Mayadhar Panigrahi was appointed as the Director of OHSDP for reasons best known to Ghadei.
Each hospital has a different story all together in corruption. Satpathy was hopeful that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will take it very seriously and start prosecuting those people in a stipulated time period, ordering a CBI enquiry so that it will be a lesson for those who are fearlessly enagaged in this kind of practices.
A few of the present cabinet ministers and high profile officers are also involved in the process, he alleged.
Reacting to the alleged mega scam , Sudhansu Bhusan Mishra, former Chief Secretary of Orissa said , CAG report 2005 (also 2006) had brought serious irregularities to the notice of the State government around April 2006.
Yet, little action was taken. Although the project duration was extended by two years, around onethird of project funds could not be spent. Now such glaring irregularities have come to notice through WB evaluation.
Commenting on the appointment of official committee to inquire into the allegations Mishra said, such committees usually find fault with lower hierarchies and higher ups manage to find respite.
In larger public interest, CBI enquiry is the minimum initiative called for. Such colossal misuse of public funds aided and abetted by inefficiency, negligence and perhaps collusion at the highest level, needs a thorough probe by an independent agency beyond the reach of state power.
” The State govt’s willingness to promptly hand over the case to CBI will demonstrate the veracity of their frequent assertion regarding integrity,transparency and the law taking its own course ,” he added.
Odisha.in