Malkangiri: JE moves CM’s Grievance cell for release of arrears, probe committee catches his fake works

Malkangiri: A junior engineer (JE) in Malkangiri district of Odisha approached the Grievance Cell of the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and appealed to take necessary action for release of his arrear dues. However, after investigation it was found that he himself had faked some of the works that he had done during his tenure. In this regard, even a police case has been lodged against his name and the probe is underway.

The Junior Engineer has been identified as Laxmidhar Bihari. He is a former Junior Engineer of the Malkangiri District Tribal Development Agency.

Reportedly, he approached the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s grievance cell and complained that as the departmental officer is not passing the bill, he is yet to get his salary and the arrear bill amounts during his tenure in the Agency.

Hearing his complaint, the Chief Minister immediately ordered the concerned department and the district administration to investigate the matter.

Accordingly, an investigation was initiated. Malkangiri District Collector formed a committee and ordered to submit a report regarding arrear dues of the JE.

However, during the investigation by the 3 member probe committee it was reportedly found that out of the total 398 case records that the JE had kept in his custody during his tenure, he had returned only 133 case records. And he kept the remaining 165 case records with himself.

The committee also found that some of the case records he furnished were correct while the rest were fake. Similarly, it was also allegedly found that he took 43 MB books and returned only 8 MB books to the office.

In 2018, Junior Engineer Laxmidhar Bihari took over the charge as the JE in the ITDA department in Malkangari. After serving for 4 years, he was transferred to the Panchayati Raj Department. However, even after he was transferred, he illegally kept the official papers in his possession without handing them over to the office, the committee found.

So Jayashree, the project administrator of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency, has lodged a complaint in Malakangiri police station against JE Bihari.

Meanwhile, a 3-member investigation committee visited the filed based on the case records and found that some of the work done by the JE was genuine while the rest of the works were false. However, reportedly the JE had alleged at the CM’s Grievance Cell that he is supposed to get money to the tune of Rs 2 crores approximately.

However, project administrator Jayashree said that there is no sign of the work he has done here. She said that all the investigation reports have been sent to the Chief Minister’s office as well as the Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes Department.