New Delhi: The General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, former Union Minister, and Member of Parliament from Sirsa Kumari Selja said that while the BJP government in the state claims to have controlled corruption, the reality is the opposite. Corruption is not decreasing but increasing. Local bodies have become a hub of corruption where no work can be done without corruption. Even before the newly elected mayors and chairpersons took the oath, discrepancies of Rs. 1400 crore were found in 62 municipalities of the state. Officials took advances for work but have not provided any accounts or evidence of where the money was spent. The most discrepancies have been found in Gurugram.

In a statement released to the media, MP Kumari Selja said that corruption in local bodies is at its highest. Corruption is visible in every document and every task because corruption has occurred. Several scams have come to light, but no one has been punished. After corruption comes to light, efforts to save the accused begin. Before the new mayors took office, discrepancies of around Rs. 1400 crore in temporary advances were found in 62 municipalities, including 10 municipal corporations. These discrepancies were not discovered by any investigative agency, but by the Legislative Assembly’s committee. It was found that officials took advances for work but did not provide any accounts or evidence of where the money was spent. The most discrepancies were found in Gurugram. This will directly be considered as a scam. The government should conduct a judicial inquiry and take strict action against the guilty, ensuring that no one dares to repeat such actions.

Kumari Selja said that the Legislative Assembly’s committee on urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions investigated the financial transactions of 10 municipal corporations during the year 2019-20, auditing a total of Rs. 1395.98 crore. Discrepancies were found related to temporary advances. The committee is currently discussing the audit report. Out of the total Rs. 1395.98 crore, Rs. 781.75 crore belongs to Faridabad Municipal Corporation, and Rs. 403.86 crore belongs to Gurugram Municipal Corporation. In the year 2018-19, the outstanding temporary advances in urban local bodies amounted to Rs. 1316.40 crore. The panel also raised strong objections to the fact that records related to property tax, building plan applications, outstanding certificates, etc., have not been presented for auditing for several years. Kumari Selja said that if all the municipal corporations, municipalities, and city councils in the state were investigated, the country’s largest scam could come to light.