Bhubaneswar: The state BJP Thursday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged pani panchayat scam wherein unelected panchayats used government funds under the programme.
The BJP leaders Thursday demanded an enquiry into the matter by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and asked the state government to come forward and get ready for such a probe if they have nothing to hide.
Addressing a presser here, senior BJP leader Biswa Bhushan Harichandan said, “Altogether 38,733 pani panchayats exist in Odisha. These pani panchayats become defunct if they are not elected within six years. Post 2008 elections, around 21,000 pani panchayats have not been elected. But these unelected panchayats are using the money illegally. This is against the law and democratic process and rampant misuse of money and power,”
He also said that the Accountant General (AG) report has accepted that around 21,000 pani panchayats have not been elected and there is no proposal for elections. “These are all unauthorised use of government funds. We used RTI to get the information. The High Court has issued notice seeking information on the matter. HC has been urged for a CBI inquiry into the matter and punish the culprits.”
Harichandan alleged that all this happened under the nose of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “The expenditure is unauthorised and this is a scam. You (state) accept that you are ready for a CBI inquiry,” he said.
According to the state legislation on pani panchayat, the body has been entrusted with the task of preparing a cropping programme suitable for the soil and agro-climatic condition with due regard to crop diversification, preparing a plan for the maintenance of irrigation system in the area of its operation at the end of each cropping season and carrying out the maintenance works of both distributary system and minor, sub-minor and field drains in its area of operation with the pani panchayat funds from time to time apart from other works in the area.