The Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan (OSSA), a forum of RTI activists, on Thursday alleged large scale irregularities in implementation of projects worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore by the previous BJD government with award of contracts to non-Odias.

They appealed Chief Minister Mohan Majhi for the constitution of an expert committee for a thorough probe into it.

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The forum obtaining the details of executed projects by RTI pointed out that more than Rs. 1 lakh crore were spent by the previous government by engaging around 200 No-Odia Contractors owing allegiance to V.K.Pandian , former 5T and private secretary to then then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. These projects were implemented under jurisdiction of various departments in Odisha from 2016 to 2022, Pradip Kumar Pradhan, State Convener and Srikant Pakal, Joint Convener of OSSA maintained in a petition to the Chief Minister.

Alleging that these projects were awarded illegally without following due procedure at the behest of Pandian (the then 5T Secretary), OSSA charged that “there is massive laundering of funds from the State exchequer corruption. Besides, the non-Odia Contractors were favoured while awarding contracts of these projects”.

It is estimated that around Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 crore have been bungled with the misappropriated public money pocketed by Pandian.

As of now, most of the projects have not been completed despite the fact that the previous Government had released funds to the ‘favoured’ contractors, OSSA said alleging that the implementation of mega drinking water projects were substandard and quality of construction was heavily compromised.

“So, we request you (CM Majhi) to kindly constitute an expert team to review all the projects awarded to non-Odia contractors and cancel the projects which are badly implemented and award these projects to Odia contractors who are effective in implementing such projects in accordance with procedure of law. We also request you to give priority to Odia Contractors while implementing various projects and take steps to develop capacity of Odia Contractors in order to make them effective for implementation of the same”, OSSA petition concluded.