Worried Odisha govt reiterates resolve to refund money to chit fund investors

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Nov 20, 2014 at 6:55 PM Updated On : Nov 20, 2014 at 7:32 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 20:

On a day when thousands of investors duped by chit fund companies held a rally in front of the Odisha Assembly demanding immediate refund of the money, a worried state government came out with a hurried assurance that it is in the process of doing the spadework for the refund.

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“The government is in the process of identifying genuine investors who lost money in the mega chit fund scam in the state,” additional chief secertary, Finance UN Behera said here today.

Briefing reporters, Behera said Justice PK Patra Commission of Inquiry, which is inquiring into the chit fund case, is in the process of tabulating the affidavits it has received and preparing a data base on those who lost money in the chit fund scam.

“Based on the recommendation of the Commission, we would refund the money to the small and genuine investors,” Behera said.

Earlier, thousands of duped investors united under the banner of Arthika Sansthamananka Dwara Kshatigrasta Milita Mancha held a rally at the Lower PMG Square here and demanded immediate refund of money to the inevstors as the government had committed.

Led by Ama Odisha Party (AOP) president Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and veteran journalist Rabi Das, the protestors waved banners and raised slogans against the Naveen Patnaik government alleging that it was complict in the scam.

“We are worried about the Chief Minister’s attempt to pass off the involvement of the leading lights in the party and the government in the scam as their ‘personal affairs’. Nno one is fooled by such laughable claims,” Patnaik said.

” The state government, which was inquiring into the scam for well over a year, did not find any involvement of ruling party politicians. How is it that ruling party politicians are being raided and arrested every other day after the CBI took over the probe?” the ‘Sambad’ Edtor asked.

The protesters announcedthat they would hold a rally at Jantar Mantar on December 17 to press their 11-point charter of demands that includes immediate identification of duped investors througha door to door survey. Later, they marched toawrds the Aseembly, but were prevented by the police.