Odisha Vigilance raids engineer’s assets and probes LED streetlight fund misuse

The Odisha Vigilance Directorate carried out simultaneous raids on June 23 at seven locations in Sambalpur, Kataka, Baleshwar and Malkangiri districts, targeting Padmalochan Nayak, Executive Engineer of the Command Area Development Authority. Searches uncovered assets worth crores, including multiple buildings, 18 land plots across Bhubaneswar, Kataka and other districts, gold ornaments, cash of about ₹3.45 lakh, foreign currency from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bahrain and the USA, several vehicles, JCB machines and a tractor. Investigators suspect Nayak of repeated trips to Sri Lanka for gambling, and are probing the source of the wealth.

In a separate anti‑corruption operation, the Vigilance wing launched a field enquiry into irregularities in the installation of LED streetlights in the Gram Panchayats of Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Jajpur districts for the 2021‑22 and 2022‑23 periods. Twenty‑four teams comprising 81 officers inspected 50 sites and found that essential components such as energy meters, cabling, MCCBs, eye hooks and photo‑switch timers were missing, yet invoices claimed their installation. The probe points to misappropriation of funds allocated under the Fifth State Finance Commission devolution grants.

Both investigations form part of a broader crackdown on corruption and misuse of public funds in Odisha.