Engineer, with 45 plots, arrested

 Bhubaneswar: The Vigilance sleuths on Tuesday arrested a senior government engineer for allegedly amassing assets, including 45 land plots, disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Assets, including two multi-storeyed buildings, two flats in Bhubaneswar, 45 plots, approximately 1 kg of gold, deposits of over Rs 1.62 crore, two cars and others, were found in possession of the accused, a senior Vigilance officer said.

The accused was identified as Pradeep Kumar Rath, Additional Chief Engineer of Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC). He was posted at the office of the Chief Construction Engineer, R&B Cuttack Circle.

Odisha’s Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the State government would take stringent action against the corrupt officials.

Rath joined the government service in 1991 as a stipendiary engineer with a monthly salary of Rs 2,000. His service was regularised in 1999 when he was serving in the Rural Development division, Dhenkanal, and he continued there as an Assistant Engineer till 2001, the Vigilance department said.

He was posted in various offices in Keonjhar, Jajpur, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack under the Works department. In 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Additional Chief Engineer, OBCC, it added.