CUTTACK: Intensifying its crackdown against defaulting gas agencies, the State Vigilance on Wednesday registered criminal cases against three dealers including M/s Sarathi Gas Enterprise at Tulasipur owned by Cuttack Sadar BJD MLA Chandra Sarathi Behera’s cousin Partha Sarathi Behera.
Vigilance sources said the anti-corruption sleuths, assisted by officers of Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology Department, had conducted a surprise check at Sarathi Gas Enterprise on Monday.
Basing on prima facie evidence of gross irregularities in stock of cylinders and records of the firm, a case under Section 7 of Essential Commodity Act, 1995 was registered against proprietor of the firm Partha Sarathi in Cuttack Vigilance police station.
Similarly, acting on the allegation of improper distribution and black marketing of LPG cylinders by M/s Maa Mangala Indane Gas Agency, Vigilance sleuths had also conducted joint raids at the firm’s offices at Pipili in Puri district and Laxmisagar in Bhubaneswar. Irregularities were detected by the officials while verifying the stock of gas cylinders and the register.
Basing on the evidence, a case has been registered in Bhubaneswar Vigilance police station against proprietor of the firm Rajat Kumar Pradhan and manager of Pipili office Rameswar Baral. Another case was also registered against Pradhan and manager of the firm’s Laxmisagar office Md Afsar, the sources added.
So far, Vigilance has registered eight cases in connection with black marketing of gas cylinders.
On Sunday, the Vigilance had filed cases against Pradhan Gas Services owned by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s brother Soumendra.