Bhubaneswar: Twenty urban local bodies (ULBs) have made illegal payments to the extent of `6.56crore under various heads in the previous fiscal (2015-16).
The payments were made towards time-scale and consolidated pay to Nominal Muster Rolls (NMRs), Daily Labour Rolls (DLRs) and Casual Labour Rolls (CLRs) as per the annual report 2015-16 of the directorate of local fund audit which was released Thursday. The directorate which audited the spending of ULBs during 2015-16 fiscal said it has found irregularities after auditing cash books, records and registers of local authorities.
The 20 civic bodies are Jaleswar NAC in Balasore district, Bargarh municipality and Padampur NAC in Bargarh, Banki NAC in Cuttack, Deogarh Municipality, Vyasanagar Municipality in Jajpur, Khurda municipality, Balugaon NAC and Bhubaneswar municipality corporation in Khurda, Rairangpur NAC and Udala NAC in Mayurbhanj, Khandapada and Nayagarh NACs in Nayagarh, Konark NAC in Puri, Burla, Hirakud, Kuchinda, Rairakhol NACs and Sambalpur municipality in Sambalpur and Sundargarh municipality.
The total illegal payments being made by these ULBs is `6,56,70,060. Of this over 70 per cent i.e `4.30crore has been made by Bhubaneswar municipality corporation in Khurda.
The audit during 2015-16 also found that nine ULBs such as Angual municipality, Ganjam NAC, Gopalpur NAC, Jajpur municipality, Bhawanipatna municipality, Khurda municipality, Konark municipality and Bhubaneswar municipality corporation have altogether made inadmissible expenditure of `26.46lakh towards payment of medical allowances to their staff of which the highest expenditure of `17.53lakh has been made alone in the BMC.
The audit report has also found financial irregularities at ULB level. The auditor also observed that “diversion of scheme funds for other purposes was made in violation of guidelines.” “Deficiency in monitoring and supervisory functions was observed in most local bodies,” it said, adding, “There was lack of administrative/disciplinary action against the cases of culpable negligence.”
In its recommendations the Auditing agency said that “prescribed records should be maintained to keep watch over financial transactions and plug bottlenecks leading to misappropriation and loss.”
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