There has been a new interesting trend in the way that Odisha’s Vigilance Directorate, the anti-corruption unit, has picked out high-ranking officials over these latter times – an amazingly clever method of accumulating stolen wealth through unquenchable love for land.
On 2nd August, during a raid meant to unearth corruption cases, it was discovered that a senior engineer had amassed 85 plots of land under his name as well as those of his family members.
According to the vigilance department, Chief Construction Engineer (CCE) Pravas Kumar Pradhan of Anandpur Barrage Division owns 80 plots at Jaleswar in Balasore district, four flats at Delanga in Puri and one plot at Sunakania (West Bengal).
Mr. Pradhan’s immovable assets comprise a 5-storied building with approximately 12,500 sq. ft plinth area located at Jaleswar and a newly constructed concrete roofed building with boundary wall & market complex which covers about 5,650 sqft area also at Jaleswar.
“All these lands were purchased in different years by Mr. Pradhan himself and other family members who hold them legally. In total, these lands are shown as having been acquired for more than Rs two crore through registered sale deeds but actually more than that i.e., above Rs 2 crore,” said the statement from the directorate. Vigilance technical staffs are measuring valuation and assessment for the buildings & plots.
Rama Chandra Mishra, joint commissioner excise arrest over disproportionate assets case earlier this week , made vigilance officials exclaim “Land!”. Numerous such properties belonging to him have been identified by anti-corruption officers. This includes 52 plots and also six multi-storeyed houses along with two apartments jointly owned by Mishra and his family members. These pieces of land were found in either Sambalpur (two), Balangir (three) or Subarnapur (47).
The Chief Construction Engineer (CCE) of Lower Suktel Project, Balangir, Sunil Kumar Rout, has been found to have accumulated wealth beyond his known source of income by more than 257%. Mr. Rout has two high-valued multi-storied buildings at Bhubaneswar, three flats in Puri and Mathura (U.P.), and 34 plots of land including a farmland spread over eight acres.
“The number of properties bought by the officials is astonishing. We don’t take into account inherited family property; but only the number that they themselves purchased during their tenure,” commented Y.K.Jethwa, Vigilance Director when reached for comments.
Mr. Jethwa explained that corrupt officials have discovered that buying land is the fastest way to change black money into white and usually report very low registered sale deed value as the purchase amount. However, we consider a benchmark value close to market value during assessments,” he emphasized, adding that corrupt people cannot use this trick to evade scrutiny.
It is quite difficult to identify land purchases made by officials. The police officers attached to Vigilance Department collect information about lands purchased by particular officials through various sources before conducting raid for two or three months as part of their duties. This information is then matched with government records on land acquisition held by them. Odisha vigilance has conducted raids on close to 10 class I officers of State government during past one month.
