Odisha Congress demands CBI probe into bridge construction

Odisha Congress demands CBI probe into bridge construction

Congress chief in Odisha Niranjan Patnaik. (Photo: facebook@NPatnaikOdisha)

Bhubaneswar, Aug 1 (IANS) The Congress in Odisha on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into alleged corruption in the construction of Gurupriya bridge in Malkangiri district, claiming that around Rs 74 crore were paid fraudulently in excess to the contractor.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik said that the excess payment had been pointed out by the Principal Accountant General. He said a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will unearth the facts.

Patnaik said that the state government had misused public money to benefit the contractor.

In a draft note, the Principal Accountant General (Economic and Revenue Sector Audit) mentioned that the state government had paid Rs 74 crore in excess to the construction company, said the Congress leader.

"The Works Department got technical approval of Rs 104.38 crore for the bridge. Later, the estimate was hiked to Rs 115.80 crore. Its maintenance for five years was included in the estimate, but the estimate was again revised to Rs 174.58 crore by September 2017," said the Congress leader.

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 187.25 crore, the 910-metre-long bridge connects nearly 152 villages in eight gram panchayats in areas in and around Kalimela and Chitrakonda reservoirs.

--IANS

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