MAPUSA
A potential fraud involving several crores of rupees in the fuel procurement for vehicles of the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has come to light, with Councillor Prakash Bhivshet calling for a thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities, including a vigilance probe.
The irregularities were discovered during a recent Standing Committee meeting, where it was revealed that proper records of fuel usage by municipal vehicles had not been maintained for several years.
Bhivshet, a former Vice Chairperson of the council, filed an official complaint, highlighting that the responsible officer failed to keep an accurate fuel register. The register should have detailed the fuel usage for each vehicle, including vehicle numbers, the quantity of petrol, diesel, or oil utilised, fuel rates, and other pertinent information.
"The statement has to be certified by the Assistant Tax Officer (ATO) or Accountant and approved by the Chief Officer before being submitted to the Standing Committee for approval, a practice that has not been followed for years," Bhivshet said.
Bhivshet further alleged that the responsible officer not only neglected to maintain the register properly but that no higher authorities questioned the lack of compliance with these procedures.
When asked about the missing records, the officer reportedly stated that the practice had not been followed for several years.
When eventually asked to produce the register, the officer presented an incomplete document, showing, for instance, that 100 litres of diesel were used by a single vehicle per day.
Bhivshet pointed to these discrepancies as evidence of a significant fraud that has been ongoing for years, urging immediate investigation.
The councillor also called for the immediate transfer of the responsible officer, to be replaced by a qualified individual to prevent further misconduct.
He emphasised that every fuel bill for each vehicle should be certified by the officer after careful scrutiny and signed by the Municipal Engineer-II and the Chief Officer.
These documents, along with the register, should then be presented to the Standing Committee for timely approval.
Bhivshet stressed that the Mapusa Municipal Council has the potential to generate sufficient income for the town's development without relying on government grants, provided the funds are managed with integrity.
"This incident suggests that someone has been attempting to siphon off money belonging to the civic body," he warned.
