Another scam to fore in Sirsa MC

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, July 5

Yet another scam has come to light in the Municipal Council (MC), Sirsa, where some officials allegedly siphoned off funds in the last 10 days of financial year 2014-15.

The MC approved more than 160 development works for Rs 15 crore, mostly related to construction and repair of streets, on a single day (March 20).

The works were allotted and completed in the next 11 days. More so, Rs 3 crore was released in this period.

In doing so, the directions of the Director, Urban Local Bodies, issued on August 12, 2013, with reminders on March 24, 2013, and April 8, 2015, asking the municipal bodies to allot works through e-tendering and issue ID numbers to streets were ignored by the MC.

Nagrik Parishad, Sirsa, an organisation of some prominent residents of the town, has written to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, demanding registration of a case against officials involved in the wrongdoing and setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Dr Praveen Arora, a local eye surgeon, and CR Dhaka, a resident of MC Colony, have also written to Khattar, claiming funds were released for a street from Karan Singh Hospital to old Kanda wali gali, but no work was done.

Parishad member Ved Beniwal and Surinder Bhatia alleged that in a resolution dated March 20, 2015, work on the Durga Mandir wali gali was shown thrice in the list of works. About Rs 10 lakh was released for a street where no lived and it was done to oblige an influential builder, they claimed.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Paramjit Singh Chahal, who is the administrator of the council, said he would inquire into the allegations when the complaint comes to him.

BN Bharti, former Executive Officer of the council during whose term funds were siphoned off, rubbished the allegations. “It is a common practice in the municipal councils that funds for works done throughout the year are released to contractors at the end of the financial year by including resolutions passed at that time,” he said.

Earlier, the police had registered a case of cheating and fraud against MC officials on June 18 after The Tribune exposed how funds were siphoned off by raising fake bills.

In another case of fraud in 2011-12, the State Vigilance Bureau had recommended an FIR against a Municipal Engineer, an Executive Officer and three Junior Engineers and minor punishment under the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeals) Rules, 1970, against some others.