Four forest department officials held for corruption to the tune of Rs 80 Lakh

Four forest department officials have been arrested on the charges of embezzlement of government funds to the tune of Rs 80 lakh under compensatory afforestation scheme in Kalahandi, the Vigilance department officials informed on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Deputy Ranger Sairendri Bag (In-charge) Jayapatna Range, foresters Umesh Rout and Debraj Sunani and Forest Guard Ashok Sahu.

The Vigilance officials informed that an investigation was conducted based on credible inputs regarding large scale misappropriation of Government funds under “Compensatory Afforestation Scheme” in Jaypatana Range of Kalahandi, South Forest Division.

The Vigilance enquiry was taken up for verification of plantation under the above scheme, by 4 teams comprising 25 Officers of Odisha Vigilance. A thorough enumeration of following plantation sites under Jaypatana Range was undertaken. During the enumeration huge shortfall in plantation and misappropriation was found.

Senior Vigilance officials informed that the investigation revealed that the plantation funds were diverted to a number of fictitious labour accounts and withdrawn shortly thereafter, and misappropriated.

Moreover, the accused officials had allegedly misappropriated government funds to the tune of Rs 79,54,635 by not carrying out plantation and falsification of records in the above plantation work during the financial year 2023-24.

Subsequently, Koraput Vigilance registered a case on May 12 under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 and BNS has been registered against five officials. Today, four accused have been arrested and produced before the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna.

Efforts are on to nab Lalit Nayak, Forest Guard, and to verify involvement of others in connection with the case, the Vigilance department said in a statement.