Bhubaneswar : Criminal cases have been registered against a retired IAS officer and two doctors on charge of cheating while implementing a World Bank-aided health project in Orissa.
The state anti-corruption wing has registered the cases against two commercial firms also, official sources said.
The cases have been registered against former Director of Orissa Health System Development Project (OHSDP) Mayadhar Panigrahi, former Joint Director Sougat Kar, former Assistant Director Taramani Patnaik and four other officials, they said.
Sources said cases were filed under section 420, 120(b) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code after the vigilance department found prima facie evidence against them in purchase of gama benzene hexa from a Kolkata-based firm.
Cases were also lodged against a Nasik-based and a Kolkata-based firm which supplied medicine and plastic chair respectively.
The government incurred a loss of over Rs 43 lakh in medicine purchase while the loss in procurement of plastic chairs was over Rs 23 lakh, they said.
While one plastic chair was available at Rs 125 in the market, they allegedly bought it at Rs 495 per piece against the lowest bidder’s quotation of Rs 282.95.
The state government had asked the anti-corruption wing to probe the health scam after World Bank pointed out irregularities in implementation of the OHSDP in the state.
The government had set up a three-member panel headed by the Chief Secretary to go into the alleged corruption in the OHSDP.
Filed under: Government
