Orissa converts tainted official’s building into dispensary

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Bhubaneswar, Nov 2 (odisha.in) Orissa  Wednesday turned the confiscated building of a tainted former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer into a homeopathic dispensary.
 
The dispensary started functioning in the Gandamunda area of state capital Bhubaneswar in the house of Sanjib Kumar Ray who was convicted in a disproportionate assets case in January this yea.
 
“This dispensary functioning from today will provide free treatment to the public at large”, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said here.
 
Addressing a gathering of senior officials on the occasion of vigilance week celebration, the chief minister said his government will use all such confiscated buildings and houses for public purpose.
 
It was the first case in the state in which the house of a tainted former government official was used for public purpose. Ray was not available for comment.
 
The state vigilance department had accused Ray of having properties disproportionate to his known source of income and had registered a case in this regards on July 17, 2001.
 
The vigilance also raided his houses when Ray was vice-chairman of Cuttack Development Authority (CDA).He retired in 2004 as additional secretary in the state co-operation department.
 
The special vigilance court in Bhubaneswar had sentenced him in January to three years rigorous imprisonment and asked him to pay a fine of Rs one lakh.
 
Although the former administrator has appealed against the judgment, the government had confiscated his immovable property recently on the basis of a direction from the special vigilance court which convicted him.
 
“Corruption is a criminal menace and also a stumbling block for the all round development of society” chief minister Naveen Patnaik said adding the focus of his government is good governance with transparency, accountability and development.
 
 Patnaik said his government has been taking exemplary actions on convicted public servants including dismissal from service and recovery of penalty from pension of convicted corrupt government officials.
 
“Over the years, our government has upheld its commitment to eradicate corruption” he told the officials.
 
“Our priority is to eradicate corruption from all spheres of life to achieve higher economic growth and poverty reduction” he added.
 
Citing the measures his government has taken to prevent corruption, the chief minister said an act named as Odisha Special Courts Act in 2006 has been enacted in the state to ensure speedy disposal of disproportionate assets cases.
 
The process of disposal of cases has started in the special courts and already in 5 cases, the special courts have convicted the accused officials, he said.
 
Consequent upon the order passed by the special court confiscation of property has been done in three cases so far, he said adding the government has already taken possession of the property of accused in two cases.
 
He also said the state government has already established 12 Special Judge (Vigilance) courts for speedy disposal of anti corruption cases pending trial of which 11 courts are functional.

Odisha.in
 

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