Cuttack, April 4: The judicial commission probing into the Ponzi scam has expressed dissatisfaction over the Naveen Patnaik government's lack of promptness in taking steps to prevent unauthorised collection of public deposits in the state.

The commission on April 2, for the third time in three months, directed the state government to file an affidavit on the measures it had taken to check the menace.

"The commission observes that taking into account the public hue and cry with regard to unauthorised collection of public deposits and the agony of the public, especially the small depositors, the state should be prompt in taking the steps," inquiry commission head Justice Madan Mohan Das said in his order, while setting a fresh deadline of 20 days.

The commission was hearing advocate Pravat Ranjan Dash's petition alleging unchecked operation of sham deposit collection companies and duping of investors.

Acting on the petition, the commission had first, on December 16 last year, sought a reply from the government. But on January 21, the state government had submitted that "the process of determining measures to prevent unauthorised collection of public deposits in the state is in progress" and sought a month's time to file an action-taken report.

While allowing the time, the commission, "as an interim measure", directed the government to launch a public awareness campaign to prevent unauthorised collection of deposits in the state. Though the government filed an action-taken report on February 26, the commission had found "all steps are in premature/proposal stage except broadcasting through AIR".

Expressing dissatisfaction over the action-taken report, the commission on that day directed the government "to file an affidavit through its authorised officer of the home department, at least of the rank of additional secretary, stating how the proposals mentioned in the action taken report are being implemented".

But when the matter came up on April 2, government counsel Samir Kumar Mishra sought one month's time "to file the required affidavit".

Mishra submitted a copy of a letter from the special secretary of the home department, addressed to the special director-general of police, CID-crime branch on March 31 "for furnishing information regarding steps taken to make the general public aware" of unauthorised collection of public deposits.

"As an adjournment is sought, the matter be posted to April 23 by which time, the affidavit, as directed, should be filed positively," Justice Madan Mohan Das specified in his order.

In an additional affidavit, the petitioner had alleged that "no steps have been taken by the state till date for creating awareness among the general public with regard to various persons and companies who are still continuing to illegally collect deposits from general public in the state".