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Abohar, February 20
Taking cognisance of inaction despite directions issued by the Director, Local Bodies, and the Controller of Local Audit, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has told the Executive Officer (EO) of the local Municipal Council to initiate criminal proceedings against the officials/staffers involved in scams. The MC has also been directed to act against a coloniser.
The Abohar MC has been facing a protest by members of the Safai Sewak Union for not paying wages of the past two months. This is the third such stir in less than a year. Today, sanitation workers struck work and held a demonstration in the council complex.
Sidhu’s directions have been conveyed to the EO by the Chief Vigilance officer (CVO) through a letter received here today. Referring to the complaints submitted by the Retired Municipal Employees Welfare Association during a meeting with Sidhu last month, the CVO said the inquiry reports received from the Regional Deputy Director, Local Bodies, Ferozepur, and Regional Deputy Director, Local Audit, Bathinda, had indicted Abohar MC officials/staffers for embezzling development fee by using fake receipt books.
A clerk, Jaspal Singh, was placed under suspension on September 24, 2014, but no FIR has been lodged against him so far.
In another case highlighted in the inquiry reports, the promoters of a colony near the PSPCL office complex had earmarked 9,950 square ft commercial area out of 19.95 lakh square ft, but the MC charged development fee at the residential property tariff against the total area. As per the guidelines issued on February 7, 2011, fee was to be recovered at the rate of Rs 30 lakh per acre. The council suffered a loss of Rs 63.98 lakh due to wrong calculations.
The CVO said in the letter that the MC had on different occasions informed that old records were not available. “If the office records are untraceable, an FIR should be lodged with the police,” the letter says.
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