PCMC burns midnight oil to clear 23 years’ dust

The number of audit objections is as high as nearly 20,000 and the amount involved is learnt to be the tune of Rs 125 crore. No official information was forthcoming on the issue.

The 100-odd departments almost overlooked their responsibility of complying with the audit objections since 1975-76. Municipal Commissioner Ganesh Thakur who has a wide experience of working with various State revenue departments, noticed the lapse when he took charge in September and ordered that every department should clear its audit objections. A special cell headed by Additional Municipal Commissioner R.B. Konde has been created to complete the work.

Initially the departments could hardly spare time for the work because of the festive season. Now, the work has picked up momentum. A meeting of all the departments was held recently during which they were directed to identify the number of audit objections pending with them. The departments have also been given a time-table for completing the work in a phased manner. The special cell coordinating the work is holding daily meetings with the departments. The work is likely to be completed in six months, it was learnt. The corporation has not finalised any audit report since 1975. No report could therefore be placed before the civic general body meeting over the years.

Incidentally, an attempt to complete the audit work of all the civic departments was initiated during the tenure of Shriniwas Patil in 1992. Patil, who had a vast experience in revenue departments, had directed the completion of the audit work. Virendra Jadhavrao, the chief audit officer then, had rigorously implemented a plan for the audit work and even recovered an amount of nearly Rs 25 lakh from various departments.