Cuttack, Dec. 30: The state government today suspended a former additional commissioner of the civic body for irregularities in the preparation of the list of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act.
The suspension follows the resignation of mayor Anita Behera yesterday after her name had been found to be in the list of beneficiaries. Today, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation recommended cancellation of ration cards of at least seven councillors and two of their former colleagues in the city.
That the bungling of ration card preparations is not restricted to Cuttack city only became evident today with Opposition parties accusing the Kendrapara Municipality vice-chairperson, two councillors of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation and the Bhadrak Panchayat Samiti chairperson managing to secure ration cards for themselves.
Food and civil supplies minister Sanjay Das Burma said former additional commissioner Biswanath Sahu, currently project director of the DRDA in Sonepur, was suspended on charges of "dereliction of duty". He was in charge of the preparation of the list of beneficiaries.
Official sources said Sahu's suspension order came from the Chief Minister's Office after the district administration had submitted its report on the controversy. The ration card issue has become a major source of embarrassment for the party and the government.
Yesterday, the government suspended two persons in this regard.
Municipal commissioner Gyan Das said: "The district collector already cancelled ration cards of 45 persons against whom objections had been received from public. The corporation has approached the district administration for cancellation of ration cards of nine persons, including seven councillors and two former councillors."
Official sources said that of the seven sitting councillors, four belonged to the BJD, two from the Congress and one Independent. The two former councillors belonged to the BJD. Besides, two BJD and one Independent councillors have been accused of cornering ration cards in the names of their relatives.
Besides, the names of three more councillors, two from the BJD and one Independent as well as their relatives who had acquired ration cards, also surfaced in fresh scrutiny by this evening. "According to the chief minister's direction, criminal cases will be register against government officials as well as the councillors, who have not surrendered their ration cards," said Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debasish Samantray. A council meeting has been called on January 4 to consider the mayor's resignation letter.
In Kendrapara, the BJD faced embarrassment after the municipality's vice-chairperson Jayanti Lenka's name was found in the list of beneficiaries. There was uproar at the council meeting today, and the district administration ordered a probe into the alleged lapse.
Kendrapara district collector Debraj Senapati said: "Criminal action in accordance with the act's provisions will be initiated depending on the findings of the report." Lenka, however, said: "My name had figured in the list. Later, I voluntarily withdrew it from the beneficiary list."
BJP and Congress activists of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation today staged a demonstration in front of the sub-collector's office, alleging that BJD councillor Parbati Pradhan and the wife of an Independent councillor Ashok Kumar Shukla figured in the list.
In Bhadrak, local people blocked Sadar road after it became known that Bhadrak Panchayat Samiti chairperson Chandrakanti Malick is a beneficiary of the ration card. Local Block Development Officer Sankarsan Behera said " Malik had not taken the ration card. Instead, she had surrendered it."
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MANOJ KAR IN KENDRAPARA,
SUNIL PATNAIK IN BERHAMPUR AND SIBDAS KUNDU IN BHADRAK
