Bhubaneswar, June 6: Development work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MNREGS) has come to a halt all over Orissa following a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in six districts of the state.

Panchayati raj minister Maheswar Mohanty today said: “A piquant situation has been developed across the state. The developmental work under the job scheme has almost stopped. The block development officers, who are the nodal officers for implementation of the project, are not willing to take any risk. Even, they are opting for transfers from their present posts.”

Mohanty said: “Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 47 officials, including BDOs and junior engineers. Another 239 officials are facing vigilance cases. Virtual fear psychosis prevails in the blocks and officials are no longer keen to implement the project.”

In a bid to give a boost to their morale, the government has decided to call a meeting of BDOs and engineers, in batches, from June 25. “Our aim is to motivate the officials to pursue their work diligently and not get bogged down by the recent controversy,” Mohanty said.

Block development officer of Kashi Nagar in Gajapati district Nilamadhab Mohapatra said: “The job of a BDO is now full of risks. It’s difficult to satisfy everyone in the block including the Opposition.”

Another BDO said: “The government guideline may say one thing, but, in reality, we have to get the work done and meet the target given. We have to satisfy demands of the local people.

“How does one expect to complete the work when under the scheme, a worker is supposed to be paid Rs 125, but the prevailing market price varies between Rs 200 and Rs 250.”

OAS officers association Rabi Naryan Nanda said: “No one wants to put his career at stake by becoming a BDO. There are many good BDOs who have faced a number of inquiries after trying to implement various schemes for a greater cause. The BDOs are the victim of strange politics at the grassroots level.”

The Orissa government has also asked the project directors (PD) to extensively tour to the blocks and send their reports. “There is a proposal to have videoconferencing facility at the block-level so that the BDOs could join senior officials through it,” officials said.

The CBI is inquiring into the alleged irregularities detected in implementation of the job scheme in Kalahandi, Koraput, Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Balangir.

On March 11, the Supreme Court pulled up the Orissa government on the failure of the scheme after hearing a PIL, filed in 2007, by one Centre for Environment and Food Security on the alleged siphoning off funds from the scheme.