Malkangiri Collector showed undue favour to AP businessman for Rs 1 cr bribe: Pradeep Majhi

Malkangiri: Former Congress MP and Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Working President Pradeep Majhi today accused Malkangiri Collector Yeddula Vijay of showing undue favours to a Businessman from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh by allotting seven stone quarries to him. Majhi further alleged the Collector was involved in tender fixing and received Rs 1 crore as bribe from the Andhra Businessman CH Venugopal.

Majhi stated despite the provision in law that a Tahsildar is a competent authority to invite tenders for allotment of stone quarry, the Malkangiri Collector invited the bid without taking a Tahsildar into confidence. On May 20, the day when the tender process ended, the Collector took the sealed tender box to his office.

As per RTI reply, the Collector’s office stated the tender box was sealed and sent to the Treasury office on May 20. But the RTI reply provided by the Treasury Office showed the sealed tender box was submitted on May 23.

Majhi asked there has been no clarity where the tender box was kept for the three days.

He alleged the Collector took the box to his home and put rate quotations in the tender suitable for the Andhra businessman.

Majhi stated in a pre-planned manner the seven important stone quarries were handed over to Venugopal on May 30.

He stated intriguingly, the Collector bought a new MH Hector vehicle the next day of allotment of the stone quarries to the Andhra businessman.

“The Collector handed over the stone quarries to the businessman in exchange of Rs 1 crore bribe,” Majhi alleged.

In his reaction, the Malkangiri Collector said nothing wrong has been done and the charges levelled by the Congress leader are baseless.

“Due to security reasons I had taken the two tender boxes to home,” Vijay added.

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