Baijnath MC chief demands probe into financial irregularities from 2021-2025

Baijnath Municipal Council president Asha Bhatia, along with four council members, has demanded a thorough probe into alleged financial irregularities within the council from 2021 to 2025.

Addressing the media today, Bhatia said she and four other members had submitted complaints in 2023 to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Baijnath SDM, Director of Urban Development in Shimla, and the Kangra Deputy Commissioner. The complaints highlighted financial losses amounting to lakhs of rupees in the awarding of civil work tenders and purchase of streetlights and other materials.

She alleged that the council procured 624 electric streetlights and 200 solar lights at inflated prices, violating standard procedures. Members of the concerned wards were not consulted during the purchases. Bhatia further accused officials of installing poor-quality concrete benches through a contractor, resulting in wasteful expenditure.

She also alleged that tenders were awarded through backdoor means, ignoring government directives mandating e-portals for all material purchases and tenders above Rs 1 lakh.

Bhatia named the other signatories to the 2023 complaints: Anita Sood, Amit Kapoor, Rajesh Kaledi and Rajan Chaudhary. She said while some council members have now levelled charges against her, she is open to any investigation. She clarified that she has only been in office for four months and insisted that more serious allegations of corruption involving previous MC presidents, members and officials—also detailed in the 2023 complaints—must not be ignored. She released copies of the complaints submitted to the Chief Minister and other authorities to support her claims.