Crores ‘misappropriated’ from DMF in Keonjhar 5T school beautification; BJP demands probe   

Alleging misappropriation of crores of rupees from the District Mineral Fund (DMF) in the name of high school transformation in Keonjhar under the previous govt's 5T initiative, BJP on Friday demanded a high-level probe into the alleged scam. 

There are 451 high schools in Keonjhar. Under a beautification drive, stickers were put on the walls and doors of 340 schools last year, at a whopping cost of Rs 8.40 crore. 

Most importantly, more than Rs 8 crore was spent in three phases but without any tender. It has been alleged that the job was awarded through block and municipality-level quotation call notices. And, for all the schools, the work was awarded to a single company-Pritipanda India Private Limited, Bhubaneswar. 

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Because of these factors, the entire project has now come under the radar. 

“Without tender, the work has been awarded to a particular organization. This apart, crores of rupees have been misused. It happened during the time of the former district Collector who was also the managing trustee of the DMF. We demand a high-level probe and if it is proved that DMF money has been misappropriated through unfair means, strict action should be taken against the guilty ones,” said Biraja Mishra, BJP spokesperson. 

Echoing the same, BJP Yuva Morcha’s state coordinator, Jajnaprasad Sahu said, “The money was spent for the beautification of schools through quotations, which is an option to consider at the time of emergency.”

When asked about the stickering at schools under the Keonjhargarh Municipality area, Keonjhargarh Municipality Chairperson Niku Sahu said, “The Collector and the executive officer had done many things without informing us. From the quality of the stickering, it doesn’t seem much money would have been spent on it. We also want a probe into it and people should know the truth behind it.”