Municipal Chief Audit department responsible for keeping checks on BMC's accounts itself has been accepting bribes for promotions, Abhijeet Samant alleged
The civic chief has been informed of the isse. Representation picture
The Municipal Chief Audit department of the BMC that keeps a check on the accounts of all the other departments of BMC, has found itself under the scanner. A BJP corporator has written to the BMC commissioner stating that the Audit department has been giving out promotions by accepting bribes. The issue was also raised in the standing committee meeting on Wednesday by the corporator, Abhijeet Samant.
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Samant has alleged that senior officials of the department have been turning a blind eye to staff indulging in fraudulent activities of accepting money and threats of transfers. The department denying promotions to certain employees has been spoken of for years by the corporators and when it was finally decided to grant eligible employees their promotions, their arrears were held back.
Samant claimed that the demand for bribes was made on a WhatsApp group of the department. He also claimed that the arrears were held back over the demand for money. Further, there were talks of bribes for promotions despite exams being scheduled for promotions, alleged Samant. While no money was collected after the exams, bribes were accepted for disbursing arrears to the promoted officials, he added.
"Through an anonymous letter sent to the then Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, he was informed about bribery in BMC for clearing exams. Mehta had immediately asked to hold the results. As the exams were held since last November, I have demanded in a letter to the new commissioner that the entire issue should be investigated and an inquiry should be set up," Samant told mid-day.
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The letter also stated that the BMC's audit department should follow the Municipal Examination process for granting promotions instead of holding internal exams within the department. A senior civic official said, "The new commissioner will soon be apprised about the issue and further details will be checked and a decision will be taken."
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