Faridabad Municipal Corporation scam, over 65 files under scanner

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, July 22

The Vigilance Bureau is expected to scan over 65 development projects taken up between 2015 and 2020 in the alleged Faridabad Municipal Corporation scam.

It is alleged that fake bills were enhance, generated and passed for the development works, leading to a scam of Rs 200 crore.

Sources in the civic body claim that besides for the routine development works, payment were also released for the audit of many emergent type of works, requiring no tender or prior approval, without proper verification.

Revealing that the bill amount was enhanced several times in many cases, a former member of the Municipal Corporation said while the majority of works were related to the Ballabgarh zone, a fire incident in the record room of the civic body, which took place a few years ago, is suspected to have eliminated important files.

According to the initial probe, 46 payments to the tune of Rs. 1,98,79,270 was made to a single contractor for carrying out four projects in the wards No. 8 to 10 of the municipal area of the city between 2015 and 2020.

These include 12 bills of Rs 4,45,402 each for interlocking tiles; 12 bills of Rs 4,45,200 each for supply of stone metal; 11 bills of Rs 4,39,913 each for the construction of culverts; and another 11 bills of Rs 4,36,203 for the repair of streets.

Similarly, in wards No. 33 to 40, as many as 23 payments to the tune of Rs 72,39,995 was made with no estimate or release of tender, according to the FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau.

Four agencies were made a cumulative payment of Rs 14,92,92,735 for carrying out the work of laying interlocking tiles, supply of stone metal, construction of culverts and street repair in ward No. 34 to 40, without any trace of work, says the report submitted by an inquiry committee.

It is also claimed that the officials concerned enhanced a bill of Rs 55.16 lakh to Rs 1.97 crore for a project of interlocking tiles in ward No. 14, without justification.

Alleging that that similar quotation was given for all the works, no work was found to be done on ground, Deepak Chaudhary, former member of the Faridabad MC said.

He was one of the many who raised the issue of alleged misappropriation in 2019. He had said the scam could be over Rs 500 crore if probed thoroughly.

“The Vigilance is likely to interrogate more officials, including retired officials and IAS officers, who served as commissioner in this period,” said an MC official on condition of anonymity.