Hyderabad: Large-scale financial irregularities and corruption have infested 16 municipalities in Telangana. It has been found that municipal staff did not credit the amounts, collected from people in the form of various taxes, to the government account and instead utilised it for their personal needs. The government has initiated disciplinary proceedings against the staff involved in financial irregularities.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who holds the portfolio of municipal administration, ordered audits in all the municipalities as it was found that several of them hadn’t had one in 10 years.
Official sources in the municipal administration department informed that notices had been issued to municipalities in Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy, Suryapet, Bhongir, Kamareddy, Armoor, Siricilla, Jagitial, Sathupally, Khammam, Madhira, Tandur, Mancherial, Bhainsa, Nirmal and Sangareddy. Disciplinary action has already been initiated against some staff working in Sangareddy and Jagitial municipalities.
The audit revealed huge irregularities in Nalgonda municipality. It was found that the staff has diverted nearly Rs 1.5 crore collected from people in the form of various taxes. No proper account books were maintained for the last 10 years. Bill collectors, in nexus with accountants, were found to have siphoned off the funds.
“In Nalgonda, disciplinary action has been initiated against 15 bill collectors for embezzlement of funds. Besides, an internal inquiry has been ordered against accounts and other staff who colluded with them and diverted the funds,” said an official. In Kothagudem municipality, the audit has revealed siphoning off social security pensions (Aasara) meant for the poor by municipal staff; disciplinary action has been initiated against 10 employees.
The audit also revealed that in these municipalities, the staff who collected taxes like property tax from the people didn’t credit the amount to the municipality’s account for over six months and used the money for their personal needs.
To check irregularities in these municipalities, the government has made tax collections and payments entirely online and a central server has been set up in Hyderabad to enable higher officials to monitor the financial transactions periodically.
