Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A team of officials from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India visited the BMC office on Tuesday afternoon to hold a meeting with senior officials, including the municipal commissioner and state-appointed administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal.
The visit comes after the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, on October 31, ordered a CAG probe into expenditures worth Rs 12,000 crore incurred by the BMC — then run by the Shiv Sena before it split — during the Covid-19 pandemic. This, after the BJP alleged that the contract for running Covid-19 care facilities were awarded in a non-transparent manner.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Chahal said, “The meeting was a routine entry conference for audit.”
Sources said that at least eight CAG officials visited the BMC and met officials who were mainly in-charge of Covid-19 care centres and medical expenditures made during the pandemic.
“The team asked for photocopy of certain documents from the audit department and held a meeting with officials mainly from the health department. The commissioner has assured full cooperation and also instructed his subordinates to cooperate,” said an official.
The official added that for the next few days, the CAG team may visit some civic hospitals.
The Opposition, however, questioned the fairness of the CAG probe since the incumbent civic officials are the ones against whom allegations have been made.
Ravi Raja, former Congress corporator and leader of Opposition in BMC, said, “I respect the decision of the state government to carry out a CAG investigation. However, all the officials from the BMC departments, against whom allegations have been made, should be transferred or sent on leave with immediate effect, or else this will affect the fairness of the probe… the same officials will handle the files wanted by the CAG team, so there are chances that they can misguide the team.”
Vinod Mishra, former BJP corporator and group leader of the party in BMC, meanwhile, said: “The investigation is the need of the hour and will show the malpractices done by the ruling Shiv Sena during the pandemic. Now that the state government is backing the probe, I believe that due course of action will be taken against whoever found guilty, be it an elected member or a bureaucrat.
Mishra had made multiple allegations of financial mismanagement against the BMC administration during 2020-21.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
