Rs 2 crore bill to run diesel generators prompts probe in Gurugram

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) formed a three-member committee last week to verify the possible misuse of funds in the engineering wing of the corporation, said officials on Monday.

The decision was taken after the MCG found that bills for renting and maintaining diesel generators at water boosting stations in the city ran into over Rs 2 crore.

As per MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav, prior to the summer of 2018, the civic body had procured on rent diesel generators for around 60 water boosting stations for power backup and to ensure there is uninterrupted water supply.

“Recently, an official in the accounts department pointed out that bills for renting and maintaining diesel generators were not normal and appeared to be significantly inflated. To confirm there is no misuse or irregularities, I have directed the engineering wing to examine all the details and submit a report before a three-member committee for its perusal,” said Yadav. The three-member committee includes additional municipal commissioner YS Gupta, chief engineer ND Vashisht, and an official from the accounts department, said Yadav.

Gupta, when contacted, said that the matter is being examined and details of possible irregularities can only be confirmed once the report is compiled.

MCG officials said that over a 12-month period, the bills submitted by various engineering wing officials for renting and maintaining diesel generators amounted to be in excess of Rs 2 crore cumulatively. In certain water boosting stations, the monthly bill for operating and maintaining diesel generators have been shown to be in excess of Rs10 lakh, said MCG officials.

A senior MCG official said “Only if the boosting station would have been operating without electricity throughout the month, and there was a complete power outage, the bill will come close to the amount shown in the bills, inclusive of the rent. This has raised suspicions that there could be malpractice,” said the official privy to the matter.

MCG officials said that water boosting stations vary in capacity. They can provide water supply to a few residential colonies or an entire sector.

They further said that the number of generators in each station also varies, with officials estimating that over 100 diesel generators have been installed across the city.

With the MCG having a review meeting on the eight day of each month, a practice that began in March this year, it is likely that the findings of the probe will be disclosed by committee members to the MCG commissioner on May 8, said officials.