Bhubaneswar: Four officials of the Forest department have been arrested by Odisha Vigilance for alleged embezzlement of government funds to the tune of Rs 80 lakh under ‘Compensatory Afforestation Scheme’ in Kalahandi district.
Based on credible inputs regarding large scale misappropriation of government funds under “Compensatory Afforestation Scheme” in Jaypatana Range of Kalahandi, South Forest Division, a Vigilance enquiry was taken up for verification of plantation under this scheme, a Vigilance press release said on Tuesday.
The probe was conducted by 4 teams comprising 25 officers of and a thorough enumeration of plantation sites under Jaypatana Range was undertaken.
During the enumeration huge shortfall in plantation and misappropriation was found as per details below:
Investigation also revealed that the plantation funds were diverted to a number of fictitious labour accounts and withdrawn shortly thereafter, and misappropriated.
Following the enquiry, prima facie evidence was well established against five forest officials, identified as Sairendri Bag, Dy. Ranger, In-charge Jaypatana Range, Umesh Rout, Forester, Debraj Sunani, Forester, Ashok Kumar Sahu, Forest Guard, and Lalit Naik, Forest Guard, all of Jaypatana Range, for connivance in the misappropriation of huge Government money amounting to Rs.79,54,635/- by not carrying out plantation and falsification of records in the above plantation work during the financial year 2023-24.
A case has been registered against the five officials and all of them were were arrested on Tuesday and will be forwarded today to the court. Further investigation is underway.
