NOVEMBER 28: The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) seems hell-bent on setting a record in corruption. The latest in the series of scams, unearthed by deputy mayor Uday Samel, is a Rs 30 lakh fraud in the Public Health Department.The scam relates to the fuel consumed by fumigators used during the last six months as part of the civic corporation's anti-malaria drive. Of the 96 fumigators only 44 function; from the remaining 52, 22 have broken down and 28 are `kept reserved'.According to KDMC records, 88 employees work with the 44 fumigators between 3 and 10 pm. The fumigators consume insecticide at the rate of 400 ml per machine per day. Records also show that 4 litres of petrol and 32 litres of diesel are used as fuel.Samel, however, alleges that only one litre of petrol and 5 litres of diesel are actually being used; yet, billing is done as per the stipulated amount.``Going by this, fuel worth Rs 318.85 paise per machine is stolen every day, which amounts to Rs 17,512 per day and Rs 5,00,000 per month,'' he alleged.Samel, who has based his allegations on `discreet enquiries for over a month with fumigation workers', has also written to the officiating civic commissioner R K Sonawane, demanding that the culprits be severely punished. He has also demanded that a criminal complaint be filed against all those involved.Meanwhile, officials from the Health Department refused to comment on the incident, and Sonawane was away at Mantralaya. The Assistant Public Health officer, who was being grilled by a group of residents from Kalyan West over the presence of worms in the water supply, also expressed his ``inability to say anything immediately.''
