Bhubaneswar: Even though the BJP government has taken over the reins of Odisha, the BJD supporters’ stronghold over the Works Department continues unabated.
These branded BJD contractors are managing to bag the contracts by influencing some department officials. So, indirectly the profits from these projects are directly flowing into the coffers of the BJD leaders.
In a glaring example, the renovation of roads was carried out across the State for the DGPS Conference, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Utkarsha Odisha in which bitumen worth crores of rupees was procured from a hot mix plant in the Dadhi Maccha Gadia in Khordha, The contractors executing the projects procured the bitumen from the aforesaid plant of Panda brothers (SPAN). Some junior officials of the Works Department divisions are forcing the new contractors to procure bitumen from these plants if they want to bag contracts.
Questionable Use of Materials to Inflate Costs
During the last BJD government, a superintendent engineer was suspended for splitting works to benefit the Panda brothers (SPAN). But the SE who was forced to split works under pressure from top BJD leaders, is yet to be reinstated.
It is further alleged that though many roads were in good condition, they were covered with new layers of bitumen.
Besides, at Capital Hospital Square Mastic Asphalt has been put on the road even though technical experts said there was no need for laying Mastic Asphalt there which costs 60 % excess than bitumen.
Notably, Mastic Asphalt is a waterproofing material and is used as a wearing course for a whole range of construction work of roads and bridges. It protects structural concrete and flexible pavement tops from wear and tear due to environmental impact.
However, the Capital Hospital Square is downstream and during rains, the water flows towards the New Airport Square there is no waterlogging and there is no circle where heavy vehicles take a turn. So, the use of Mastic Asphalt at those places is questionable and its seems that it has been done deliberately to damage the roads so that it can be repaired again, said the experts.
It is alleged that some corrupt engineers have in a pre-planned manner have misinforming the new Works Minister about use of new techniques to collect huge percentage (PC) from the contractors and unnecessarily misutilising the people’s fund.
Call for Vigilance Probe Amid Rampant Corruption
Now, as the Vigilance Directorate is only laying major stress on trap cases and disproportionate assets cases, the massive scams worth crores of rupees in these road projects and construction of drains is rampant. If these scams are brought under the Vigilance scanner crores of rupees from the State exchequer which is going down the drain can be saved.
The Mohan Majhi government which is trumpeting the slogan of ‘Zero Tolerance’ to corruption, should immediately order a probe by the Vigilance police to unearth the massive scams in the Works Department to win the faith of the people of the State, demanded the intellectual masses.