The anti-corruption Vigilance Directorate has unearthed alleged large-scale embezzlement of government funds earmarked for the installation of LED streetlights in rural areas of Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Jajpur districts, unmasking incriminating irregularities in the execution of the scheme.
Acting on credible inputs regarding corruption and misappropriation of public funds during 2021-22 and 2022-23, Odisha Vigilance has launched an extensive investigation into the implementation of the LED street lighting project across Gram Panchayats in the three districts, officials said.
The anti-corruption agency has mobilised 24 teams comprising 81 officers, with 27 officers deployed in each district. The teams are conducting field-level verification and technical inspections to ascertain the extent of the alleged fraud, they said.
Preliminary inquiries have revealed glaring violations in the execution of the project, titled “Implementation of LED Street Lighting System in One Village of Each Gram Panchayat on Turnkey Basis Including Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (CAMC),” which was funded under the 5th State Finance Commission (SFC) devolution grants.
Flagrant violations of tender guidelines and major deviations from approved project specifications were detected.
During spot verification, investigators found that several critical components required for each cluster of LED streetlights were either missing or inadequately installed at many locations.
Despite these deficiencies, bills were allegedly inflated and payments released by falsely projecting the works as fully completed, leading to suspected misappropriation of substantial government funds by the executing agencies.
As part of the ongoing inquiry, Vigilance teams on Wednesday carried out technical inspections and field enquiries at 50 locations across the three districts.
The exercise is assessing the actual status of installations, calculating the extent of financial loss to the state exchequer and identifying the involvement of government officials, contractors and executing agencies in the alleged scam.
The investigation is continuing, and further action will be initiated on the basis of technical assessments and financial scrutiny. The probe is expected to establish the scale of the alleged embezzlement and fix accountability for lapses in the implementation of the scheme, they concluded.