MP: Viral Video Of ACS Over Civic Body Purchases Sparks Controversy

(MENAFN- IANS) Bhopal, Oct 22 (IANS) A video showing Madhya Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey pulling up officials over alleged irregularities in purchases by urban local bodies has surfaced on social media, with the senior bureaucrat warning of strict action against discrepancies in procurement.

The viral video is reportedly from a review meeting held at a training institute in Bhowri, Bhopal, where Dubey discussed purchases made through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal by urban local bodies over the past three years. According to an analysis presented at the meeting, 374 urban local bodies made purchases worth Rs 1,134 crore through the portal during the period.

The analysis pointed to substantial price differences in the procurement of similar goods and equipment.

Citing an example, Dubey said one urban local body had purchased a garbage collection vehicle for Rs 2 lakh, while another had paid Rs 6 lakh for a similar vehicle fitted with an additional dustbin.

The analysis estimated that the state government could have saved around Rs 250 crore if the purchases had been made at average rates.

The figure represents estimated potential savings and does not, by itself, establish the extent of any proven financial loss or corruption.

Dubey warned officials that strict punitive action would be taken if irregularities were found in procurement from this year onwards. The episode has brought scrutiny to purchasing practices in urban local bodies and the monitoring of public expenditure.

Reacting to the issue, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari criticised the state government over its debt and the proposed expenditure on an aircraft for the Chief Minister.

“History will be ashamed that when Madhya Pradesh was burdened with a debt of Rs 6 lakh crore, the Chief Minister was spending Rs 350 crore on a single aircraft to fulfil his personal preferences,” Patwari said.

He accused the BJP of allowing corruption to spread in the state, describing it as a“cancer of corruption”, and called for the party to be removed from power at all levels, from village sarpanches to Members of Parliament.

Responding to a IANS query on Thursday, Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing Pratima Bagri said proper supervision and regular monitoring were necessary to identify irregularities. She said the state government had taken action in similar cases in the past and would continue to take appropriate action against wrongdoing.

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