Baripada: A lady data entry operator in the office of the Horticulture Department deputy director at Baripada Takatpur was removed from her post after activists of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) raised a ruckus over the alleged misappropriation of funds by her. Orissa POST had carried a report September 2.
Acting on complaint by the locals, the lady data entry operator Kadambini Satpathy was removed from her post Tuesday. It is worth mentioning here that the former deputy director of Horticulture Department in Mayurbhanj Om Prakash Rath (now deputy director of Keonjhar) had written a letter to the former stating that funds meant for plantation were embezzled by the data entry operator, who misappropriated funds through forged bills, a report said.
The office of the deputy director of Keonjahr Horticulture Department subsequently sent a letter(1891, dated 20/8/2018) to the department’s Takatpur office, stating that data entry operator had then prepared forged muster rolls in the names of some farmers and embezzled funds.
The woman employee was in-charge of preparing bills and releasing funds. She has reportedly committed the financial bungling with help of an employee of Badasahi block and a number of Udyan Sathis.
The deputy director of Horticulture Department in Keonjhar in its letter has recommended legal action against those involved in the wrongdoing.
However, instead of initiating necessary punitive actions against the accused lady data operator, the Horticulture Department had allegedly protected her.
It was alleged that over Rs 4 crore had been misappropriated through forged muster rolls in Badasahi block. JMM leader Kalinga Keshari Jena told the media that he had complete evidence about irregularities in the plantation scam.
Jena said that he has over 90 FTO numbers (fund transfer orders) which were forged. He warned of an agitation if no action was taken against the guilty.
Deputy director of the Horticulture Department here Kanchan Mundari had assured of action against those involved in it.
PNN
