Nabarangpur: A press conference was held at a local hotel under the leadership of former MP Pradeep Majhi regarding alleged corruption in various schemes implemented by the Nabarangpur Municipality.
Pradeep Majhi accused the municipality of large-scale corruption involving crores of rupees in different projects. He alleged that under the Green Field Project, substandard roads were constructed in various locations of the town, including areas without residential settlements, siphoning off nearly ₹20 crore.
He also highlighted corruption in the construction of the dump yard near the RTO office, where ₹17 lakh was allegedly embezzled and duplicate bills were generated to loot lakhs more. Despite the municipality owning a JCB machine, another was hired on rent at a cost of ₹26 lakh, which he termed an unnecessary and fraudulent expense.
Majhi said the amount spent on renting the machine could have been used to build four check dams. Additionally, four SHG groups—Priya, Kalyani, Yashoda, and Sankalp—were given contracts, but reportedly were not paid their dues, even though a bill of ₹13.22 lakh was cleared.
He further alleged that no fogging or mosquito repellents were ever sprayed in drains, yet false bills were created and money embezzled. Annual drain cleaning expenses amount to ₹5.19 crore, but the town remains unclean, and drains are not properly maintained.
Majhi also accused the municipality of corruption in the allotment of stalls. He claimed that deserving and eligible individuals were ignored, while a single family received multiple stalls in exchange for hefty bribes. This, he said, deprived the economically weaker sections of their rightful access.
Although many beneficiaries have applied for stalls since 2018, they continue to wait, while newer and more influential people have been favored. He also pointed out that some roads constructed only two years ago have already deteriorated. For example, a substandard paver block road near Abhinandan Kalyan Mandap was constructed at a cost of ₹42 lakh, but it’s unclear what area it connects and who benefits from it.
Majhi also questioned the construction of a ₹5 crore road in Ward No. 1, extending from Thubabidya Niketan College to an uninhabited area nearly a kilometer away, asking who this road serves.
Deputy Chairperson of the Municipality, Soumya Mahapatra, present at the press meet, alleged that she is being ignored in the municipality’s affairs and is not provided any information when she requests it. She further claimed that she is not informed about meetings or official programs in advance.
In response, Executive Officer Samarendra Mohanty refuted the allegations, stating that any complaints received will be thoroughly investigated.
Following the press conference, Pradeep Majhi submitted a written complaint to the Vigilance Department, demanding an investigation into all these corrupt activities.
The press conference was attended by BJD councilors and party officials, including undivided Koraput Zilla Parishad Chairperson Tapas Tripathy, senior leader Saroj Patra, former councilor Uttam Tripathy, General Secretary Bhima Harijan, BJD town president Pramod Rath, Sumit Pal, Kuna Padhi, and Krishna Tripathy.
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