Nagpur: Spitting fire on NMC Administration over wanton corruption and affairs prevailing at host of crematoriums in city, the Leader of Opposition Vikas Thakre has demanded blacklisting of one of the firms supplying inferior wood at a few crematoriums. The firm M/s Mahesh Sales is playing truant since the past two years in supplying of wood to the crematoriums but find itself off the hook, alleged Thakre.
The Leader of Opposition, in a letter sent to Municipal Commissioner, has sought blacklisting of M/s Mahesh Sales for debarring it from further tendering process. “Fresh tenders should be floated for supply of quality wood at crematoriums,” stressed Thakre in his letter.
Notably, the Health Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) oversees the purchase of wood for crematoriums across the city. Every year, wood worth Rs 2-2.50 crore is consumed by the crematoriums. The wood is provided to the citizens free of cost for last rites of their dead ones. The then Municipal Commissioner Shyam Wardhane had smelt a rat in the shady working of firms supplying wood to the crematoriums and had ordered a special audit to dig out the truth. M/S Mahesh Sales was allegedly found supplying inferior quality of wood and encashing inflated bills, too. The ‘shortcomings’ were noticed in the special audit. Subsequently, the NMC Administration had filed an FIR with police but the FIR itself was “managed” at scrupulous levels.
30 officials-employees found tainted, Rs 2.50 crore loss to NMC:
The special audit summarily pinpointed shady deals and held around 30 officials-employees guilty of wrong-doing. The NMC too suffered a loss Rs 2.50 crore as a result of dubious deals since the past two years. Surprisingly, no guilty officials or employees faced any sort of action. The tainted firm too was let off the hook. Yes, for the sake of an action, a fine of Rs 3 lakh only was slapped on the truant contractor for over 15 times, revealed the sources.
