Corruption cases booked against ex-ministers

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR, JULY 26. The Vigilance Department of the Orissa Government has registered corruption cases against three sacked Ministers - Mr. Nalini Kanta Mahanty, Mr. Prashant Nanda and Dr. Kamala Das.

While the case against Mr. Mohanty has been filed by the Cuttack Vigilance office, the cases against Mr. Nanda and Dr. Das have been booked by the Bhubaneswar office. The three were removed from the State Cabinet on July 9 on the advice of the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik. Mr. Mohanty and Dr. Das belonged to the Biju Janata Dal while Mr. Nanda belonged to the BJP. Mr. Mohanty was subsequently expelled from the Biju Janata Dal for ``anti-party activity.''

Mr. Mohanty was the Minister of Works, Housing and Parliamentary Affairs while Dr. Das was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Mr. Nanda was the Minister of State for Rural Development and Higher Education.

The cases, in which several Government officials and engineers have also been named as accused, were registered under various Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code on Wednesday.

The case against Mr. Mohanty pertains to the alleged irregularities in the construction of right and left additional approach roads over Patasala river on Rajnagar-Dangmal-Talchua Road.

The case against Dr. Das is that she had ordered supply of iron fortified salt under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme despite objections from the District Collectors and against the recommendation of Secretary of Child Welfare Department.

It the case of Mr. Nanda, it has been stated that he had gone out of the way to favour a construction firm in the construction of a suspension bridge over Dhabaleswar creek.

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