Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), in a recently held General Body Meeting (GBM), had in a tough action showoff, suspended the Executive Engineer of Town Planning Department Mahesh Gupta as well as transferred 12 other employees to other departments following missing of a vital file. However, in a stunning revelation, it has come to the fore that a staggering 533 files from Market Department pertaining to allotments of shops and concrete platforms have gone missing. These 533 files are missing since years. Now the moot point being raised is what action the NMC administration would contemplate and further how many heads will roll on account of the missing files from the Market Department, housed in the Headquarters of the civic body. The missing files point out a scam brewing in the civic body of mind-blowing magnitude, to say the least.
The Standing Committee, in a face-saving exercise, has ordered a high-level probe into the matter. The Committee has also directed the concerned authorities to table the report on the guilty officials/employees and the action to be initiated against them in the next GBM. The top babus and office-bearers of NMC, it seems, have developed cold feet and are finding themselves short of words to define the missing files scam of gigantic magnitude.
It has been revealed that major discrepancies have been found in as many as 1,348 files while 533 files have gone missing from the Market Department. The rents for shops and concrete platforms in NMC’s markets across the city are just a peanut. Hence there was a proposal to review the rents altogether and fix the rents afresh with the current situation. The Additional Commissioner went through the exercise and submitted his report before Standing Committee. The Chairman of Standing Committee Ramesh Singare could not find any financial lapses in the missing files. In many cases, the signatures of competent authority were missing, while in some cases, the licenses were not attached, Estate Officer had not signed the documents in two cases and shockingly the license document was found blank in one case.
It is pertinent to recall that following missing of a few pages from a file the Executive Engineer of Town Planning Department Mahesh Gupta was suspended while a dozen or so other officials, including Deputy Engineer R S Bhute, and employees were shifted to other departments at one go. The action had created ripples in NMC circles in general and the Town Planning Department in particular. Bhute was transferred to Estate Department and in his place Deputy Engineer from Lakadganj Zone M G Kukreja took the reins. Similarly, Junior/Branch Engineers Dilip Bisen, Anil Gedam, Nilesh Bobde, were also sent to other departments. Estate Engineering Assistant B K Tayde, Vinod Dongre, Vijay Kolte, Arun Joge, Arun Pethewar, Pradeep Holey, P Nehare too were transferred.
The missing files included 21 files of Gokulpeth market, 14 files of Mahatama Phule Market, 79 files of Mahatama Fule Bhavan, 2 files of Bhapkar Park, Subhash Road, 14 files of Netaji Market, 10 files of Yashwant Stadium, and 44 files of Super Market. This also includes 4 files of Chitnavis Park, 49 files of Budhwara Bazar, 6 files of Mahal Tanga Stand, 6 files of Babulal Takkamore Market, 4 files of Bhaldarpura Mutton Market, 5 files of Rajvilas Budhwara Complex, 16 files of Bakrimandi, Momipura, 2 files of Hydari Road Complex, 29 files of Santra Market, 3 files of Maskasath Complex, 1 file of Itwara Dahi Bazar, 1 file of Itwara Kadbi Maharaj, 2 files of Itwari, 15 files of various markets of Itwari, 36 files of Mangalwari Complex, 56 files of Gaddigodam, 55 files of Sadar Link Road, 12 files of Sadar Dispensary and 42 files of shops beneath Railway Station bridge. The maximum files were missing since year 2000 and therefore, Additional Commissioner has recommended to seek clarification from then Market Superintendent, Market Inspectors. The full time Market Superintendent was not appointed by the local body. However, Assistant Market Superintendent S N Deshmukh (now retired), and Market Inspectors S D Rotake, U R Motghare, S D Shastri (Retd), S Karnase (Retd), S M Vanjari, G G Raut, and H R Tumane (Retd) should be summoned, the probe has recommended. As per prevailing law, the local body could not propose departmental inquiry against the retired employees. The local body regularly received monthly rent of these shops, and concrete platforms, therefore, it is difficult to say that there was any financial loss to the institution.
– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
