August 6th 2024.
On Tuesday, the vigilance department of Odisha made a major breakthrough as they arrested a senior government engineer on charges of acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income. The accused, Pradeep Kumar Rath, who holds the position of additional chief engineer at the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation, was found to possess a vast array of assets, including 45 plots of land, two multi-storeyed buildings, two flats in Bhubaneswar, 1 kg of gold, deposits of over Rs 1.62 crore, and two cars, among others.
According to a senior vigilance officer, Rath's possessions were disproportionate to his income and raised suspicion about his involvement in corrupt practices. He had been serving in the office of the chief construction engineer at the R&B Cuttack Circle. The news of his arrest has sparked outrage, and the state government has assured that strict action will be taken against corrupt officials like Rath.
Rath, who joined the government service in 1991, started as a stipendiary engineer with a monthly salary of Rs 2,000. However, his service was regularized in 1999 while serving in the rural development division in Dhenkanal. He continued to work as an assistant engineer in the same division until 2001, as per the vigilance department's records. He was then transferred to various offices in Keonjhar, Jajpur, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack under the Works Department. In 2022, he was finally promoted to the position of additional chief engineer at the OBCC.
The arrest of Rath has once again brought to light the issue of corruption in the government sector. Odisha's Law Minister, Prithviraj Harichandan, has assured that the state government will not tolerate such malpractices and will take strict measures to eradicate corruption from the system. This incident serves as a reminder to all government officials to uphold their integrity and work towards the betterment of society rather than indulging in unethical practices.
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