Nayagarh/Ogadaon: A scam worth Rs 6 crore has been committed in a cooperative society in Nayagarh district. Financial wrongdoing has serious repercussions on the functioning of society as scores of depositors have been left high and dry without getting their deposit amounts back. The society is also allegedly headed towards bankruptcy, sources said. In the last four years, 11 staff members have been suspended and five data entry operators sacked for the irregularities in different societies of the district. Of the suspended staff, 10 are society secretaries and one has died.
However, three of them have been reinstated. According to reports, five years ago, deposits of 600 depositors amounting to Rs 6 crore had been misappropriated at Kural Cooperative Society. The matter was investigated and the society secretary Kalucharan Rout was suspended. An impression was given to people that an investigation is on, but in 2018, the irregularities were suppressed, it was alleged. However, the issue reappeared after a farmer in Kural village brought out a four-year audit report (Since 2016-17) on the irregularities through RTI queries.
In the audit report, the then secretary and the treasurer have been held responsible for 50 percent of the corruption in the society. The Assistant Auditor General of Cooperative Societies, Khurda, in his audit report had directed for recovery of Rs 3,16,731 from each of the two. Vigilance had arrested the then secretary, but he had managed to draw salaries for 11 months from the society even without coming to office.
Here is another case of irregularities in fertilizer disbursal to farmers in the Komand Cooperative Society. A case had been filed against Secretary Lingaraj Sahu in 2016 at Fatehgarh police station in this regard. A criminal case against him is also subjudice at Khandapara JMFC court. He had been transferred after the fertilizer scam in Komand Cooperative Society came to the fore. After his transfer, he was not coming to society but had drawn salaries for 11 months.
A complaint in this regard has been filed at the Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies (ARCS). In Nayagarh Central Cooperative Bank, an official involved in a loan scam has been promoted. This has caused resentment among farmers. In 2013, Prafulla Sahu, an official of the accounts section of Nayagarh Central Cooperative Bank, misappropriated Rs 1 lakh from a loan of Rs 25 lakh. After 10 months, he returned the money. It was alleged that the loan scam is being suppressed. Meanwhile, Congress workers have warned of agitation over the irregularities.
If no action is taken against the corrupt officials, the party has threatened to stage protests near the Nayagarh block office. ARCS Hadibandhu Mahakud said that a joint inquiry has been ordered against Komand Society Secretary.
