By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: All India Anti-Corruption Organisation convenor Subrat Kumar Nanda on Sunday alleged a massive scam in Unit-1 Market Complex in Bhubaneswar. A Vigilance probe should be conducted and the two concerned officials should be immediately transferred, said Nanda.
Addressing a press meet here, Nanda said that the market was constructed by the General Administration (GA Department in 1956. The GA Department handed it over to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 1984 with certain conditions keeping the interests of small traders in mind. The conditions included there would be no wholesaling of vegetables, the approach roads to the market should be kept vacant and no heavy vehicles would be allowed.
But after taking charge of the market the BMC has flouted the conditions. Many traders are carrying out wholesaling inside the market and outside. Many traders have encroached the approach roads and even the drains. Some unscrupulous BMC officials have removed the barriers meant to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles, alleged In 2012 , a detailed project report was prepared to turn the market into a modern market .
For the purpose, a plan was prepared to demolish 42 Government quarters and one three–storied flat were to be demolished. The GA Department on 25.514 handed over 3.822 decimal land to the Urban Development Department for the market complex with some condition for the market complex.
The condition was that it cannot be used for any other purpose and if the market complex is not constructed within 36 months it would be returned to the GA Department. Though in the official records it has been stated that the three storied flats have been demolished, in reality it has not been done.Thogh five years have passed the market complex is yet to be completed. Instead, the BMC’s Market Superintendent and the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) have rented it out to an opera party owner and in the process pocketing lakhs of rupee, alleged Nanda.
The land has also been leased to a private party which is charging parking fee from the thousands of trucks, mini-trucks and other vehicles and in the process the aforesaid BMC officials are siphoning of lakhs of rupees.
Besides, the two officials are collecting around Rs 30,000 from the roadside vendors and depositing Rs 10,000 with the BMC and embezzling the rest amount, he alleged. Both the officials are under the Vigilance scanner, but still the Housing and Urban Development Department has allowed them to continue in their posts.
The Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) was transferred before the elections as he has spent more than 11 years in Bhuabneswar and its periphery .But he has managed to return back to the plum post, he said.
