Bureaucrats use Public Money
on their Whims and Fancies
At a
stretch OSDMA released Rs.2.5 Crore to IIT, Bombay for land
slide Study without signing
any MOU or accepting any detailed Proposal – AN RTI Revelation
Dear friends
On dated 11.3.20., RTI Application was submitted to the
PIO , office of OSDMA ( Odisha State
Disaster Management Authority), Bhubaneswar seeking the
following information.
i. Copy
of all correspondence made
with IIT, Bombay while assigning study
on Landslides in Gajapati in pre
and post-assignment period.
ii. Copy of
the file noting
with regard to
decision taken for assigning IIT, Bombay the
said study
iii.
Provide copy of decision taken / Order including
file noting for release
of advance amount Rs. 2.5
crore with date of release.
iv. Copy of
Review, if any made at OSDMA
level about progress
or completion of
the study during
period of present MD, OSDMA
On 19.5.20, the PIO
supplied the information
which are as follows.
1.
From the
file noting , it was
found that the Chief Minister, during his visit to the cyclone Titli affected area in October 2018 had expressed his deep
concern for landslide event in
Gajapati district. He had declared that
vulnerability mapping of hilltop
villages would be done and shelter houses
to be provided to the community , wherever required.
2.
The State Executive Committee ( SEC) headed by the Chief
Secretary, in its 3rd meeting for 2018-19 held on 22.10.18
approved the landslide
vulnerability mapping by OSDMA for which necessary fund would be provided from
SDRF ( State Disaster Response Fund).
3. Without inviting
any tender or Expression of Interest, Shri Bishnupada Sethy, the then Managing Director, OSDMA assigned Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay ( Rs. 2.5 crore project) for the
landslide vulnerability study for
Gajapati District. OSDMA has maintained utmost
secrecy and has not disclosed any information about
details of procedure followed and decision taken and preliminary correspondence made between OSDMA and IIT, Bombay for arriving at decision to
assign this study ( for example letter dt. 30.3.2019) , as it was sought
for under RTI Act. The reason for
not inviting Expression of Interest
through advertisement and hurriedly selecting IIT, Bombay for
this study is best known to OSDMA officials.
4.
But it
was observed from the file
noting that the Team of IIT, Bombay visited three worst landslides affected
areas in the Gajapati district
and submitted a preliminary
report to OSDMA which was
placed before 4th SEC meeting
for the year 2018-19 held on 5.2.2019.
5.
Following
their preliminary report, OSDMA assigned this
study to IIT, Bombay without
signing any MOU and devising timeline
and released total Rs. 2.5 crore
at stretch on 25.4.19 without approval of the Finance
Department.
6.
In respect of sanctioning of Rs. 2.5
crore to IIT, Bombay by Sri Bishnupada Sethy,
MD, OSDMA, it has been clarified by Bholanath Mishra, General Manager (
Geotechnology), OSDMA which is observed from the file noting
that the Governing Body in its 3rd meeting has delegated the
sanctioning power upto Rs. 5.00 core to the Managing Director for any scheme. I
suggest that this issue must be looked
into by the state Govt. from the
perspective of effective management of
SDRF fund through approval of Finance
Dept.
7.
It
deserves to mention here that IIT, Bombay had not submitted any proposal for the Study
on “Vulnerability Mapping of
Landslide Prone areas under Cyclonic storm
in the Gajapati district”
8.
It
is also learnt from the text of the letter
written by IIT, Bombay on
2.4.19 that “ the duration of the project was one
year and the consultation charges was be
Rs. 2,11,86,441.00 with 18%GST ( total Rs. 2.5 crore) .
9.
After four
months of release of Rs.
2.5 crore , the Study Team of IIT, Bombay made their
first visit to Gajapati
district on 2nd and 3rd
September, 2019 for the said study.
10.
On 30.10.19., OSDMA wrote a letter to Prof. Manas Ranjan Behera, Associate
Professor , IIT, Mumbai, Team Leader to send a team of experts to the recent landslide sites occurred
in Gumma and Rayagada block of
Gajapati district and submit the report.
IIT
Team visited Gajapati on 12.11.19
11.
From the proceedings of the meeting of OSDMA
held on 13.11.19, it was found that Mr. Pradeep Jena, present Managing Director, OSDMA really blew
the whistle. This meeting was called by him to review the progress
of ongoing landslide study undertaken by IIT, Bombay. It was directed
by
Sri Jena that –
a.
IIT, Bombay
would modify the methodology and
come up with detailed proposal ( IIT, Bombay had
not submitted any
proposal . But Mr. Bishnu Pada
Sethy, the then MD sanctioned full amount of Rs. 2.5 crore as advance. It never
happened anywhere in Govt. sector) , devise a timeline for execution &
completion of the work. The modified proposal would be submitted within
three weeks.
b.
IIT, Bombay would submit the exhaustive proposal
with timeline of completion by 13th December,2019 and submit UC of the expenditure incurred
under this project to settle the advance amount released to IIT, Bombay.
c.
As MOU
was not signed
on 25.4.19 at the time of
release of entire project money, MOU will
be signed now after review of
progress and revised plan.
12. One
year is over. So far, IIT, Bombay has neither submitted any report nor UC.
13. Study
is going on. Nobody knows when the study will be completed.
14. It
is desired to conduct an inquiry into nexus of Sri Bishnupada Sethy and IIT, Bombay,
how a project was sanctioned without
floating any tender and inviting Expression of Interest and total amount
was released without signing any MOU and underlining check and balance.
Pradip Pradhan
M-9937843482
Date- 22.5.20
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