ACB finds Rs 8.23 crore gap in Jagtial municipality, flags major irregularities

Hyderabad: In a surprise inspection at the office of the Municipal Commissioner in Jagtial, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has found several discrepancies, pointing towards poor financial management, poor administrative functioning, and poor maintenance of records.

According to the inspection report, ACB officials from the Karimnagar range on April 7 found a gap in income generation and procedural violations in different departments.

Major discrepancies in the collection of taxes

One of the main discrepancies was in relation to tax collection for the financial year 2025-26. It was found that Rs 17.19 crore of taxes were supposed to be collected, but Rs 8.95 crore have actually been collected, with a total of Rs 8.23 crore remaining. Of this, Rs 8.47 lakh of advertisement taxes were yet to be collected.

Discrepancies include missing municipal assets, irregular payment of cheque amounts, etc.

The ACB found some missing municipal assets, such as four autos missing since 2022 and one tractor missing since 2020, without any complaint being registered.

There were also instances of cheque issuance for the repair of vehicles in personal name rather than companies’ name and transportation of vehicles for repairs in places outside Jagtial District despite designated repair centres.

Moreover, it was observed that there was improper maintenance of logbooks, with no proper data regarding fuel usage and mileage.

No tender process for almost 18 years; poor record keeping

A grave administrative oversight was observed by the ACB when it noticed that tenders were not being conducted for 194 municipal shops for close to 18 years. Although registers were maintained, there was no proper documentation for rent collection.

Poor record-keeping was evident throughout the various departments, with no registers for uniform distribution, chemical usage for fogging purposes, and stationery purchase. In certain instances, there were no GST bills or authorised documentation.

There was also poor maintenance of the attendance register for employees, with the biometric system not being effectively utilised.

Suspicious transactions, pending applications under scanner

While checking the mobiles of the staff members, it was found that there were suspicious UPI transactions amounting to around one lakh rupees belonging to municipal officials, which are under scrutiny now.

The ACB also reported a delay in the processing of applications, with many thousands of applications and many pending as well.

Verification is being done to know the extent of lapses, and those who are responsible will have to bear the brunt.

ACB trap in Mahabubabad district

In a separate case, the Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a trap operation in Mahabubabad district and caught an in-charge MEO and headmaster, Jinjirala Ravikumar, red-handed while accepting a bribe.

The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from a teacher to sign retirement benefit papers. Following a complaint by Ravinder, ACB officials laid a trap and caught Ravikumar while accepting Rs 15,000 as part of the bribe in Gudur mandal.

Further investigations are underway.