Ludhiana: Councillor seeks probe into ₹8-crore MC payments, bills

Gaurav Bhatti alleges payments and bills processed without F&CC scrutiny; MC chief directs officials to submit report

Congress councillor and Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) member Gaurav Bhatti has sought an inquiry into municipal corporation payments exceeding ₹5 crore for old PUEIP and Smart City projects, alleging that these were released without being placed before the committee for scrutiny. He has also questioned bills worth around ₹3 crore prepared by the Special Projects Organisation (SPO) branch, taking the total amount under scrutiny to over ₹8 crore.

The municipal corporation Zone D office Ludhiana’s Sarabha Nagar. (HT Photo)

In a representation to municipal commissioner Ankur Mohindroo, Bhatti has sought a detailed examination of the approvals, estimates, work orders, measurement books and execution status of the projects linked to these payments and bills. Measurement books are official records used to verify the quantity of work completed before payments are released.

The councillor has also raised concerns that larger development works may have been divided into smaller components to avoid the prescribed tendering process and higher-level financial approvals. Citing the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 2019, he has sought an inquiry into whether the procurement rules were followed.

Bhatti has demanded that all sanctions and payments approved by the commissioner, joint commissioners and zonal commissioners under their delegated financial powers be reported to the F&CC every month. The disclosures, he said, should include details of the works, their locations, estimated costs, approving authorities, contractors, work orders and payments released.

He has also sought certified copies of orders defining the financial powers delegated to senior MC officials.

According to his representation, joint and zonal commissioners can approve works worth up to ₹2.5 lakh, while the commissioner’s limit is ₹5 lakh.

Seeking records of sanctions and payments issued over the past two years, Bhatti has called for an inquiry into the suspected irregularities and a written report on the action taken. He has also urged the civic body to withhold further payments related to the disputed works until they are examined, except where permitted under applicable rules.

Clarifying that he did not intend to obstruct development works, Bhatti said regular scrutiny by the F&CC would improve transparency and curb unnecessary expenditure. He claimed that such oversight could potentially reduce avoidable spending by up to 40%.

The MC chief said he had directed the officials concerned to submit a detailed report on the matter, which would be discussed at the next meeting.