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22 PMC officials caught by state ACB since 2018
22 PMC officials have been arrested for accepting bribes since January 2018. The highest number of arrests were in 2021 and 2022, with 6 officials caught each year.
PUNE
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has nabbed as many as 22 Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials for accepting bribes since January 2018. The highest number of PMC officials caught on charges of corruption was six each in 2021 and 2022.
During the past fifteen days, two graft cases have been reported while a few more are likely to be unearthed.
Most PMC officials apprehended belonged to the water and health departments.
According to civil society experts, the development does not augur well for the civic body, which is the frontline body engaged in providing civic amenities to the citizens on a daily basis.
The deep-rooted corruption in the civic ranks came to the fore recently when a pension clerk was caught red-handed for accepting bribes on behalf of a PMC staffer who had recently retired from the service. According to the anti-corruption bureau analysis, the bribes were paid to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOC)’s and other PMC documents. The PMC pays its employees one of the highest wages in the state and provides extensive social benefits.
According to information provided by the PMC administration, the most errant officials have been arrested in the last two years.
Since the appointment of the administrator, the state anti-corruption agency has arrested eight PMC personnel.
During 2021 and 2022, six PMC officials were arrested while in 2023, three officials were nabbed. In 2021, one official was arrested while two officials in 2019 and five in 2018 were arrested.
According to the ACB Director General (DG) office’s statement, the government provides a variety of services to residents. If government workers seek bribes for any government duty, citizens should approach the ACB, which will always stand strongly by such citizens and prosecute the violators.
While reacting to the development, ACB superintendent Amol Tambe said, “The ACB takes action based on the complaints received, and statistical information is released on the website for the general public.”
