Saturday, January 19, 2019

Inquiry into any scam under Nabin Patnaik Govt. is an unending process


Inquiry into any scam under  Nabin Patnaik Govt.  is an unending process
Neither enquiry conducted nor action taken against the culprits, exposed  under RTI

Dear friends

Department  of Co-operation, Office of Registrar, Cooperative Societies  and Odisha State Cooperative   Bank  are   epicenter  of corruption and scam  under Nabin Patnaik  Govt. in Odisha. Dr. Damodar  Rout, former Minister   for Cooperation has alleged  of Rs. 800 crore  scam in Odisha State Cooperative Bank . Though  he   ordered  for  inquiry into, it was  suppressed  by  corrupt officials  at  the direction of  Chief Minister’s office.

There  was  allegation of  corruption, irregularities  filed   against  Sri T.K.Panda, the then Managing Director, OSCB in the Department of Cooperation, Govt. of Odisha  and NABARD, Bhubaneswar. NABARD  forwarded  this complaint to the department for inquiry.  On 18.11.17,  the Department  of  Cooperation  constituted  an inquiry  committee  under chairmanship of Sri Biranchi Narayan Mohanty, Auditor General of Cooperative Societies along with two members Sri Prasanna Kumar Mishra, Deputy Secretary, Sri Surya Kumar Mishra, Deputy Secretary.  The Committee was instructed to complete  the inquiry  and submit report  by 10.12.17.   

In reply to Assembly question UDAQ No. 45, Sri Surya Narayan Patra said  that  inquiry report into abovementioned  allegation  has been  received.  As  this allegation was made  by public about  corruption into OSCB,  The public has right to know  about  the inquiry report  and action taken in this regard. Magnitude  of corruption and  corrupt officers  needs to be exposed publicly , as they have misappropriated  public money at large.  A clean  and transparent Govt. like BJD Govt.  should  put it in public domain  for  knowledge  of the people of the state  who are paying  money (tax)  to run this  Govt.  Keeping it in view, on 27.3.18,  I had filed RTI Application  to the PIO, office of  Cooperation, Govt. of Odisha   seeking   copy of the inquiry report and action taken  in this regard referring  reply of Surya NARAYANA PATRO, Minister. The  information was  repeatedly  denied to  me on 17.4.2018 and  finally  on 10.9.18 citing the  following  ground  of  section 8 (1)(j)  of the RTI Act
Section of 8(1)(j)  of the RTI Act  says
“ Information which relates to personal  information  the  disclosure of which  has no relationship  to any public activity  or interest  or which would  cause  unwarranted  invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer  or Appellate Authority , as the case may be  is satisfied that  the larger public interest   justifies  the disclosure  of such information”.

Taking clue from this provision of the RTI Act, the Department  has denied to provide the  information.  In fact  this inquiry report  is  not  a personal  information.  This  is a allegation of  corruption against the  employees  who are  servants of the people by  the public.  So  the public have  right to know  what is the outcome  of the  inquiry . If  the concerned  officer  is guilty , the people must  have right to  know  about it. If he is not involved  in corruption and allegation was false, the people have also  right to know  his honesty. The allegation of corruption against any  officer  is  within   administrative structure  of the Govt.  of which  the  Cittizens are masters . This is not at all  personal  information  not about family, wife and children. The intention behind to deny the information  is to suppress the inquiry and protect the  culprits , corrupt officials.

Similarly,  On 30.5.18, I had filed  RTI Application  to the PIO, office of Registrar, Cooperative Societies  seeking information about   details of action taken  from the day one till May 2018 on   letter No. XI-AQ-62/17   10489 dt. 30.6.17 sent by Joint Registrar, Cooperative Societies (Credit) to the Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies with regard to enquiry into  allegation of misappropriation of Rs.100 crores in Odisha State  Coopeartive Bank along with copy of the note sheet,   information about details of reasons thereof  for which the enquiry could not be conducted. It deserves  to mention here that  there was  complaint  of Rs. 100 crores loot  by officials of OSCB in 2017.

Finding  denial of information, I made  first appeal on 11.17.18  to the First Appellate Authority, office of Registrar, Cooperative Societies   seeking  direction to the PIO  for supply of the  information. On 16.8.18.,  The  FAA heard the case  and mentioned that  the inquiry is under progress.   It  means  there is no inquiry  or  inquiry  is suppressed  in the name of inquiry. This is is a strategy  taken  by  Nabin patnaik Govt. to suppress all enquiries  in the name of inquiry.

All the  corrupt officials  including  office of   Chief Minister  is trying hard  to suppress all  inquiries and protect  all corrupt officials.

Pradip Pradhan
RTI Activist
M-9937843482
Date- 19.1.19

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