Five Municipal Engineers Suspended Over Fund Misuse, Poor-Quality Works

Kakinada: The principal secretary of municipal administration and urban development, S. Suresh Kumar, has ordered disciplinary action against five municipal engineers for alleged irregularities, misappropriation of funds and inferior-quality works in Pithapuram Municipality in Kakinada district. The works were executed under the 14th Finance Commission, with payments amounting to ₹7.73 crore reportedly made without actual execution.

The vigilance and enforcement department investigated the allegations and submitted its report to the state government on October 7, 2025. The report confirmed large-scale irregularities, prompting action against:

Y.S.R.K.V.V.V.L. Narasimha Rao, then executive engineer (Public Health Division, Rajamahendravaram), now superintendent engineer, APCRDA, Vijayawada. He faces charges of lack of integrity, failure to supervise subordinates and behaviour unbecoming of a government servant.

P. Vamsi Abhishek, then assistant engineer, Pithapuram Municipality, now serving at Nuzvid Municipality.

M.T. Hussain, then deputy executive engineer, Pithapuram Municipality (Aug 3–Oct 21, 2020), now posted in Public Health Sub-Division, Amalapuram.

S. Bhavani Sankar, deputy executive engineer, Pithapuram Municipality, accused of recommending payments for poor-quality cement concrete road works.

K. Ratnavalli, assistant engineer, Pithapuram Municipality, accused of recording “dust filling in pipeline trenches” in the measurement book without executing the work, causing excess payment of ₹1,18,171.

The state government had sanctioned ₹7.73 crore for 53 works in Pithapuram for 2019–20. A petitioner, using the Right to Information Act, flagged several discrepancies, leading to the vigilance probe. The department has also recommended recovery of the misappropriated amount from the contractors.