Nagpur: The Stationery Scam echoed loudly at the General Body Meeting (GBM) of Nagpur Municipal Corporation as Corporators bombarded the administration with serious accusations and pushed top bosses to the wall. The GBM was held on the last day of the year 2021.
Following various allegations from Corporators, Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari abolished the seven-member inquiry committee constituted by the Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B, set up a five-member panel of Corporators to conduct an inquiry and removed financial powers of few officials. The committee will be headed by Avinash Thakre, Ruling Party Leader, to probe the matter.
Gold Rate
Saturday 01 Feb. 2025
Vijay alias Pintu Zalke, former Chairman of Standing Committee and Tanaji Wanve, Leader of Opposition; raised the issue of stationery scam through an adjournment motion. Adv Dharmapal Meshram and others participated in the discussion that followed. Stationery scam was unearthed by
Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B informed the General Body Meeting that the Stationery Scam or Bogus Contracts Scam might be going on in the civic body for 10-15 years or more. In the last 18 days, the administration has unearthed details about bogus contracts of only the last few months. Presenting the side of the administration after discussion on the scam, Radhakrishnan said, “Contractors took undue advantage of loopholes in the NMC system. Had Chief Medical Officer Dr Sanjay Chilkar not reported it, we would not have learnt about the scam, initiated action to improve the system,” he said.
City BJP President Pravin Datke and Zalke pointed out that the civic chief was not having any powers to constitute an inquiry committee. They stated that the committee headed by Additional Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kumar Meena was just an administrative panel and formed to bury the scam.
Citing a note prepared by Chief Accounts and Finance Officer Vijay Kolhe, Datke said, “Kolhe is having audio recordings of some officials and the accused contractor Padmakar ‘Kolba’ Sakode. Questions have also been raised about some corporators. Kolhe should submit the audio recordings to the Economic Offence Wing (EoW) of the Crime Branch or civic chief,” he said.
Datke said that Kolhe mentioned in the note that Corporator Abha Pande has raised irregularities in procurement of materials related to Covid-19. “Then Health Department’s officials conducted an inquiry and learnt about bogus contracts in July. Still, they did not inform the civic chief . They tried to bury the scam for personal gains. They tried to even manage Kolhe. Therefore, three officials and two staffers should be sent on long leave so that inquiry is done in a proper manner,” he said.
In the meeting, Radhakrishnan said no action should be taken against officials citing that their services are needed for containing the spread of Covid. But the Mayor Tiwari directed to remove financial powers of these officials. Datke said the scam was not limited to four departments and came to light in seven departments. “Administration is hiding many facts. It is not just Rs 4 crore. The administration has already come across bogus contracts of at least Rs 21 crore,” he said.
Datke further pointed out that many officials shared their user ID and passwords with staffers who are generating and approving bills from different departments, zones and even from their private places. Zalke alleged that files of some bogus contracts were at the residences of a few contractors. NCP Corporator Abha Pande held the ruling party responsible for the scam. Pande said the scam was going on since 2009 and she has raised the issue many times in the House since 2018 but no cognizance was taken. “Scam would have never happened had cognizance been taken of my investigation. Even as some people lost family members to Covid-19, some officials and staffers were looting public money,” she said.
Another Corporator from Congress, Sandip Sahare, raised the issue of procurement of 229 materials at a cost much higher than prevailing market rates. He alleged Standing Committee Chairpersons from the ruling party were responsible.
The five-member committee constituted by Mayor Tiwari is headed by Ruling Party Leader Avinash Thakre, Wanve, BSP Corporator Vaishali Narnawre, BJP Corporators Sandip Jadhav and Adv Sanjay Balpande. Tiwari said the committee can incorporate two more members who can be any retired HC judge or retired Municipal Commissioner or auditor etc.
Tiwari also expressed anguish over the vacant post of Chief Auditor and Vigilance Officer in NMC. “Scam would not have happened in the presence of these officials. These posts should be filled as soon as possible,” he said.
Terming the scam something not new for NMC, Congress Corporator Praful Gudadhe charged that the civic body is a school of corruption. “Few Corporators from the ruling party are giving themselves certificates of honesty by levelling allegations against officials. I appreciate Dr Chilkar for exposing the scam,” he said.
