Vigilance officers in Odisha on Tuesday arrested two government engineers in separate cases for accepting bribes related to MGNREGS projects in Bargarh and Koraput districts.
In the first case, Susmita Oram, a Junior Engineer (JE) posted at Gaisilet block in Bargarh under DRDA, was caught red-handed while accepting Rs8,000 from a contractor. This was the final installment of an alleged Rs32,000 bribe she had demanded to facilitate the measurement and clearance of pending bills for a road improvement project valued at Rs9.5 lakh.
The contractor had previously received Rs3.15 lakh, and Oram allegedly asked for 10% of this amount as a bribe. She had already accepted Rs24,000 earlier and was nabbed by vigilance officials while taking the remaining sum. The full Rs8,000 was recovered from her and seized. Simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to her. Oram had joined government service on January 10, 2024, with Gaisilet as her first posting.
In a separate incident in Koraput, Suchismita Parija, an Assistant Engineer (AE) posted at Lamtaput block, was arrested while accepting Rs8,000 — the remaining amount of a negotiated Rs15,000 bribe. She had initially demanded Rs10,000 for facilitating payment release for laborers involved in ghat cutting work under MGNREGS.
She had already taken Rs5,000 earlier. The entire Rs8,000 was recovered from her government quarters in Lamtaput. Searches are ongoing at three locations associated with her. A case has been registered by Koraput Vigilance Police Station.
Both engineers face charges under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
