The opposition on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged multi-crore tourism scam and immediate action against a senior IAS officer who was heading the department at that time.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, JVM-P and some independent MLAs, unanimously supported the demand of Pradeep Yadav for a CBI probe in the Rs 14 crore scam of the tourism department in 2007-08. He did not take the name of the IAS officer in the house As per a TOI report.

Yadav alleged the IAS officer misused his office to give a contract to Genesis, a Mumbai-based company, for making 10 films. The department also released Rs 3.47 crore to the company without assigning any work.

"The IAS officer is very influential and plays golf with the chief minister. He has used his influence to hamper the vigilance inquiry that is going on for the last three years. The minister should immediately issue order to lodge an FIR and a CBI inquiry in the interest of the state," said Yadav. "The influence of the IAS officer can be gauged from the fact that no FIR has been lodged against him even after the then commissioner of vigilance bureau had made recommendations to lodge a case."

Replying to the question, state tourism minister Bimla Pradhan tried to defend the government and said action would be initiated according to the recommendations of the vigilance bureau. "Let the inquiry be over and we will take appropriate action against the accused," said Pradhan. Not satisfied with the answer, leader of opposition Rajendra Prasad Singh requested the speaker to order the minister to get the probe completed within a fixed time.

"I cannot pass any order but will definitely ask the minister to follow the rule and get the inquiry completed at the earliest," said speaker C P Singh.