Bali Yatra 'scam': Corporators smell plot to suppress probe report

A committee constituted by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to look into the alleged irregularities during Bali Yatra last year, has reportedly not published its report. Corporators of the opposition parties apprehended that the massive scam would be suppressed in the name of investigation. 

They have expressed their displeasure over it, wondering why the report is not made public. They alleged that attempts are being made to facilitate the escape of agencies involved in the scam.

Corporator of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gagan Ojha said, “Those involved in the tender process are becoming members of the investigation committee. It is an attempt by the CMC to fool the people of Cuttack in the name of investigation. They are deliberately delaying the investigation so that people will forget it."
   

Congress corporator Santosh Bhola said, "Massive irregularities have been done in Bali Yatra projects. The Committee that was formed to probe the scam has not made its report public. I was inquiring about it on Friday. The CMC is not interested in looking into the irregularities.”

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CMC Mayor Subash Singh, said, “The investigation report will certainly take time to come and will be submitted to the Vigilance and then to the Odisha Police Housing Corporation for verification.”

Notably, a tender of Rs 32 lakh was floated for the construction of two welcome gates. Besides, Rs 96 lakh was reportedly allocated for a laser show while Rs 1.74 crore was spent for an AC hangar. The corporators of the Congress and the BJP had staged protests several times in the past, alleging a massive scam. Later, the CMC formed a committee comprising a city engineer and two executive engineers to look into the allegations.