Bought Darkness, Spent Crores?
Rayagada, ‘Streetlight Projects’ Drain Public Exchequer!
Bissamcuttack:24/8- ‘Street light projects’ in Rayagada district, instead of being the lifeline of rural infrastructure seem to have turned into a hotbed of corruption and political influence after CAG unmasks rampant irregularities.
The report has emerged as an advisory to the district administration, while several other illumination projects under various heads of accounts are on the verge of execution in Rayagada. Ensuring transparency and accountability will be a challenge to Shri Asutosh Kulkarni, Collector Rayagada, the ex-officio CEO of the ZP, and team led by CDO as the Executive Officer and BDOs as the executive Head of PS given the complex political dynamics of the district.
The audit findings paint a grim picture of blatant violations, fake installations, and systematic misuse of public money across tribal dominated Panchayats under Muniguda, Kashipur, Rayagada and Bissamcuttack PSs. Areas that are considered some of the most backward and vulnerable regions of Odisha. While critics claim it’s just a tip of the iceberg since the test checked were confined to limited areas of ZPs.
The report highlights that during FY 2017-22, projects worth crores were executed without following mandatory procedures of preparing estimates, obtaining administrative approval, and securing technical sanction.
Shockingly, 55 cases lacked any technical or administrative clearance, directly violating codal provisions. Tikiri, Talajhari, Podapadi, Kumudabali, Sibapadar, Chanchdaguda,Bethiapoda and Durgi GPs of Rayagada under scrutiny.
In Podapadi and Tikiri GPs of Kashipur PS, quotations were obtained from firms that did not deal in solar equipment, as verified from the GST portal. In Talajhari GP, despite full payment being made to an agency in FY 2019-20, not a single solar streetlight was found installed during joint physical inspection. The then PEO admitted that the lights were never installed, but reasons for releasing full payment remained unknown. Instead of relying on DISCOM for planning, feasibility and estimates were arbitrarily prepared by JE, GPTA & AEE of Bissamcuttack PS, without ensuring energy meters or maintenance plans. As a result, none of the LED streetlights installed in various areas have functioned since the day of installation due to the absence of power supply. Of the ₹94.96 lakh sanctioned for 56 streetlight projects across four PSs of various ZPs that includes Bissamcuttack PS, vouchers were available for just ₹9 lakh, leaving ₹86 lakh unaccounted for. Even the verified vouchers raised suspicion, as purchases worth ₹7.11 lakh were made from single supplier who does not deal in electrical goods, indicates the GST records. Shockingly, installation charges of ₹94,000 were also paid to departmental officers despite departmental execution.
The 2015 PR&DW guidelines mandates the formation of a district level technical committee under the Collector for planning streetlight projects. However, the audit found no committees were formed in any of the five test-checked GPs including Sibapadar, Kashipur, Talajhari & Tikiri of Kashipur and Muniguda PSs of Rayagada District.
Projects worth ₹34.21 lakh were executed without surveys, technical assessments, or requirement analysis. Moreover, no contracts or warranties were obtained from suppliers, leading to several defunct streetlights observed during field inspection.
What was meant to brighten rural roads has left villages in darkness and public coffers lighter by crores. With PVTG and tribal dominated regions at the heart of this scandal, questions loom large over accountability and monitoring in the Panchayatiaj system within Rayagada.
Reported by Gouri Shankar Pattnaik
