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Altogether ten FIRs had been filed against Biswal and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), CBI Additional Director U N Biswas told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
He said the Orissa government had referred to the CBI 56 instances of criminal misuse of funds received for development of different irrigation projects from the World Bank, NABARD, OECF of Japan and under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) about a year ago.
The accused were alleged to have caused huge financial loss to the state exchequer in awarding contracts to various contractors at exorbitant rates ignoring lower offers and deviation in the work after award of the contract.
While FIRs in respect of ten contracts, relating to the period 1995-2000 when Biswal was the minister for water resources development, were filed on Friday, preliminary inquiry with respect to the other references by the state government was in progress, he said.
According to Biswas, the ten cases involved over Rs 15.64 crore (Rs 156.4 million).
Biswal figured in the FIR filed relating to construction of the Kusumi zone minor irrigation project in Nawarangpur block, implemented with assistance from NABARD.
Besides the former deputy chief minister, the list of accused included two serving chief engineers of the WRD department, seven retired chief engineers, eleven superintending and executive engineers, two retired executive engineers, one additional secretary and one joint secretary.
Several unknown officials of the department had also been named in the FIRs.
A number of engineers and officials figured in more than one FIR. Ten different construction firms had also been named in the list of accused.
Biswas said the CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry after being entrusted the job by the state government to ascertain whether any prima facie case existed or not.
The inquiry had been continuing for the last one year, he said adding it comprised a broad spectrum.
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