- Mayor announced committee, to give primary report in 1 month
Nagpur. The stationery scam, which was being exposed layer after layer in the Municipal Corporation for about 15 days, erupted in the meeting of the Municipality on Friday. All the councilors put the functioning of the administration in the dock and also demanded strict action against the culprits. After the demand made by the ruling party and the opposition party, Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari announced a 5-member committee under the chairmanship of ruling party leader Avinash Thackeray according to Section 31 of the Maharashtra Municipal Act.
Along with this, in the powers conferred according to this section, the committee was given the freedom to take the help of any retired judge and any retired employee of the AG office having knowledge of financial accounts. The mayor made it clear that the entire episode should be exposed in a month. Along with this, the agencies which carried out this scam, from the year he started his tenure in the Municipal Corporation, also directed to investigate the matter from the same year. On Friday, through the adjournment motion, Pintu Jhalke, Tanaji Oneway, Sandeep Sahare raised this issue in the House in which many councilors participated.
corrupt practices of administration
Initiating the discussion through the adjournment motion, Councilor Pintu Jhalke said that even though it is being called a scam outside, but I consider it as economic irregularity and corrupt practices of the administration. Due to the administration, the people are getting the malignancy of the Municipal Corporation. Some time ago, senior councilor Abha Pandey had raised the matter in the House regarding this corruption, but at that time the administration did not cooperate with her. Now new revelations of corruption are happening continuously.
He said that the agency is working since September 28, 2017. Its network extends to the library, education, sanitation, medicine and birth and death departments. 74 lakh was paid to an agency in the library department without work, even though it is not mentioned in the records. Sakore, the main architect of the stationery scam, had prepared this agency by giving suggestions.
Get a fair investigation done by a retired judge
Referring to the information provided by the Municipal Corporation under the Right to Information Act, senior councilor Sandeep Sahare said that from the year 2016 to the year 2019, information about the purchase was sought from the Municipal Corporation. The Municipal Corporation may be calling it a purchase on the basis of the rate ordered according to the rules, but the reality is that it has been purchased at very high rates.
As much as the administration is responsible for this, the Standing Committee is equally responsible. After the decision is taken by the administration, the proposal goes to the Standing Committee. At that time the Standing Committee should have raised objections but the green signal was given. In such a situation, since the finger is being raised on the administration and the ruling party, it should be investigated through a retired judge. He said that if you go to buy anything in the market, then it is a bargain. But it is not taken care of while buying goods for the Municipality. During the discussion, there was a tussle with the Municipal Commissioner due to the administration being put in the dock.
Administration dumped money
Senior councilor Abha Pandey said that earlier the stationery scam was exposed in the house. At that time no one took it seriously. If it had been taken seriously at that time, then such irony would not have happened today. He alone has raised his voice against it. Now that the whole matter is exposed, I am feeling that I have won. Got an opportunity to study the audit report regarding the purchase in the Municipal Corporation, in which many secrets were revealed. This type of procurement scam is going on since 2007. There is an objection in the audit report on the purchase of 598 cycles from Bhagyashree Cycle Stores.
According to this, there is no bill in Nasti. According to the audit report of December 31, 2018, the Municipal Corporation purchased gold coins, but the tender was not invited for it. Even the photographs of great men that were bought were corrupted. In this way the administration has wasted all the money. Referring to a school, he said that it was bought to give painting material to the students but the surprise is that there is only 9th and 10th class in that school, where painting is not taught to the students. There has been a scam worth crores in 10 years, which should be investigated thoroughly.
Municipal Corruption Primary School
Taking a strong attack on the stationery scam in the Municipal Corporation, Councilor Prafulla Guddhe said that corruption can be a topic of discussion in the meeting of the Municipal Corporation, it is surprising that. If seen for many years, Municipal Corporation seems to be a primary school of corruption. Corruption resides in its every breath. Participating in the initial discussion about corruption gives a feeling of being separated from it. The way bathing in the Ganges gives a feeling of washing away sins, that is why he revealed the information about participating in the discussion. He said that even though the administration has contracted the rate by tendering according to the rules, but if the rate is high and the rules are coming under the guise of savings, then new rules should be imposed.
He said that this is not a minor scam. Corruption continues every year in a similar fashion. If it is taken seriously, then every year more than 100 crores money can be saved by the Municipal Corporation. He said that the way BJP kept vigilance during the Legislative Council elections, in the same way, if vigilance had been prepared in the Municipal Corporation, then this situation would not have happened. The ruling party has failed to prepare vigilance in the Municipal Corporation.
Corruption exposed in October, FIR in December
Senior councilor and MLA Praveen Datke said that the corruption was actually exposed only in October but the FIR was registered in December. Why was it delayed so much? This is beyond comprehension. False signatures are being disclosed by a junior level employee or contractor, but the reality is that the original bills have 4 different signatures of Health Officer Dr. Sanjay Chilkar. He said that the Chief Financial Officer has prepared a letter in which Chilkar, Ram Joshi, Bhatkhulkar of the store have been accused of corruption.
Kolhe has also informed the police to reveal the information at an appropriate time, due to which his statement is incomplete. Education officer Misrikotkar had sought permission from the commissioner to register an FIR in the scam of the library department, but he was not given permission. Chilkar was appointed in the Municipal Corporation in December 2020, but after the scam was exposed for e-governance, the ID was prepared on December 17-21. Why is the ID not generated yet? This question remains.
Administration is not serious
The ruling party leader Avinash Thackeray said that a three-tier system has been made in the constitution for check and balance. In this no one encroaches on anyone’s rights. The public representatives elected from the people are trusted circles. The working of the administration is that the trust board is being rejected and the administration is taking its own decisions on its own volition. If each other’s rights were respected, there would have been no need to discuss the scam in the House. He said that the file to be prepared for development works passes through 21 tables in the Municipal Corporation.
In such a situation, it is surprising that the file made about this scam was not caught on any table. According to the rules, there is a rule to present the report before the Standing Committee by conducting a weekly audit every week, but the report is never kept by the administration. The Municipal Corporation has purchased some goods at higher rates, whose account was exposed by Sandeep Sahare. Even though the administration is calling it a purchase under the rules, but the same 7 companies involved in corruption did not participate in the tenders called at the time of contracting this rate? It has become the subject of investigation.
Same family contract for 40 years
Councilor Dharampal Meshram said that after scrutinizing 41 files, Rs. The corruption has been exposed. Even the information about this being a scam of 21 crores is being exposed by MLA Datke. Alam is that the same contractor family is doing supply work in the Municipal Corporation for the last 40 years. 5 agencies have been registered in the name of the same family. The registration was done on behalf of the Municipal Corporation without investigating the agencies, due to which the registering officer is guilty.
He said that despite the commissioner not having powers, he formed the inquiry committee, while the standing committee is not being approved even after his committee is empowered. This gives an idea of the functioning of the administration. Targeting the Assistant Commissioner of General Administration Mahesh Dhamecha, he said that corruption has been done by logging on to his computer.