Dhamnagar: Large-scale financial wrongdoings have allegedly been committed through various bank accounts opened in the name of Dhamnagar tehsil in Bhadrak district. Collector Trilochan Majhi and Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC-Central) Suresh Chandra Dalei started an investigation into the irregularities, Tuesday and checked various official records.
An internal audit was earlier conducted on the activities of the tehsil in the current year. The audit report pointed out 23 bank accounts is being operated in the name of the tehsil and of them eight are current accounts.
Three in UCO Bank (Dhamnagar), one in Gramya Bank (Dhamnagar), three in HDFC Bank (Bhadrak), two in ICICI Bank (Bhadrak), two in IndusInd Bank (Bhadrak), one in ICICI Bank (NirgundI), three in Axis Bank (Bhadrak), two in SBI(Dobal), one in DCB Bank(Bhadrak), two in Canara Bank (Kothar) and one in UCO Bank (Jainagar) are functional in the name of the tehsil.
However, in the tehsil cashbooks, only five of the accounts have been mentioned while there is no mention of the remaining 18.
Dhamnagar tehsildar Khirod Kumar Panda however, refused to comment on the investigation and the alleged irregularities. “No new account has been opened during my term here. Between 2011 and 2020, a total of 17 accounts had been opened and seven tehsildars had served here during the period. One account was opened in 2003. The remaining five accounts have been mentioned in the cashbooks and these too were old,” informed Panda.
The RDC told mediapersons that the irregularities are being investigated and action will be taken against those officials involved.