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Four IAS men to depose before Patra

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

Four senior Indian Administrative Service officers of Orissa have been asked to depose before the Justice R K Patra commission of inquiry, probing the polythene scam.

After receiving the status report from the CBI on the scam on September 14, the commission asked the officers to depose before it on September 25.

The officers issued notices by the commission are energy secretary D N Padhi, agriculture secretary S C Hota, principal residence commissioner in New Delhi, P C Hota and additional relief commissioner Mayadhar Panigrahi.

Of the four officers, Padhi is one of three senior IAS officers against whom the CBI registered a case last July. The CBI registered the case for criminal misconduct and abuse of official position in the procurement of polythene rolls for cyclone-hit victims last year.

The three have been accused of having deliberately incorporated a defective description of polythene material in the purchase order. The rolls were procured to provide temporary shelter to people rendered homeless by the cyclone.

The state special counsel had submitted 27 names, including that of two former chief ministers, for involvement in the purchase of polythene after the super cyclone.

Further hearings by the commission will be held on September 25-26.

The CBI's counsel, while submitting the status report in a sealed cover, urged it to keep its contents secret till investigations are complete.

According to sources, the 27 names given by the state counsel include Gridhar Gamang and Hemanand Biswal, chief ministers during the procurement of polythene. Chief secretary S M Patnaik, member, board of revenue and former chief secretary S B Mishra, agriculture production commissioner K V Verma, additional chief secretary P K Mishra, special relief commissioner Ajit Tripathy are also named.

The commission had asked the CBI to submit the status report by September 11. When it failed to do so, the commission took it to task, directing it to submit the report by September 14.

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