PMC official seeks vigilance probe into civic body affairs

PATNA: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Kuldeep Narayan has recommended vigilance probe into at least four cases of alleged irregularities and financial mismanagement in the PMC.
According to sources, Narayan in a letter on January 14 this year to urban development and housing department (UDHD) secretary S Siddharth has said the vigilance probe was necessitated as he has stumbled upon irregularities in corporation's affairs."It is difficult for me to reach a convincing conclusion on the basis of the departmental investigations into some of the cases," Narayan was quoted by a source to have written to Siddharth.
The cases listed in the PMC commissioner's letter to the UDHD secretary include the one in which the then PMC commissioner in 2011 had found that A2Z Infrastructure Limited, the company entrusted with the task of garbage management, had submitted an inflated bill. The then PMC commissioner, therefore, did not approve of the payment to the firm.
The PMC's Empowered Standing Committee (ESC) and councillors' board, however, decided to pay 75% of the bill. The Patna high court subsequently gave a decision in A2Z's favour. But an LPA was filed against the high court order. Also, an FIR lodged by vigilance investigation bureau alleged A2Z had received the contract through wrong means.
Another case into which the PMC commissioner has sought vigilance probe pertains to royalty and tax taken for advertising. His letter to the UDHD says the ESC favoured same tax/royalty from advertising agency for advertisements on the government land as the one for ads on the private land. "Though I have rejected their decision as it is against the Bihar Municipal Act, the episode hindered the process of collecting royalty/tax from advertising agencies and it needs investigation to find out which factors pushed the ESC to take this decision that could have caused losses to the PMC," Narayan wrote.
Narayan has also recommended vigilance probe into the case of construction of fence around the dumping yard at Ramachak Bariya. Besides, he has also recommended vigilance probe into alleged irregularities in the construction of buildings across the city. Incidentally, he has pointed out, the vigilance investigation bureau has already lodged an FIR in connection with the building designs having been passed on back dates. "There are people who are trying to create hindrance in the investigation," said Narayan.
The spat between the PMC commissioner and mayor Afzal Imam has been making news for quite some time. The latest salvo fired by the PMC commissioner has caused panic among many in the corporation. "Many skeletons would fall from the PMC cupboard if the vigilance probes actually happen," admitted a PMC official.