Vigilance probe into loot of relief, Cuttack BJD chief

Odisha government today transferred the Commissioner of Cuttack Municipal Corporation and suspended his deputy over alleged loot of relief materials by some ruling BJD corporators in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also the BJD chief, suspended the party's Cuttack unit chief Madhusudan Sahu for allegedly looting relief materials and returning them on Saturday after an outcry.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said CMC Commissioner Nihar Ranjan Mohapatra was transferred and his deputy Jaganarayan Kujur suspended.
Vigilance sleuths raided the CMC office and questioned officials responsible for distribution of relief materials and seized several documents.

It was alleged that some other BJD leaders in Cuttack had looted relief materials on October 13, a day after the cyclone hit the state.
According to reports, on the day, BJD corporators allegedly took away huge quantities of rice, dal, cooking oil, potatoes, biscuits and lanterns from the CMC office by threatening the deputy commissioner.
Pointing out that the state government had earlier announced that looters of relief would be booked under NSA, BJP spokesman Sajjan Sharma said, "Suspending Sahu from his post clearly goes to prove his involvement in the loot.