BJP Corporator Piyush Mishra has alleged serious financial irregularities in Bhilai Municipal Corporation, claiming that a defaulting sanitation contractor was paid Rs 13 lakh despite having outstanding liabilities of around Rs 1.5 crore. He announced that a complaint would be filed with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) seeking registration of an FIR against Municipal Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Pandey.

 

Addressing the media on May 30, Mishra alleged that the payment was made to M/s P.V. Raman, a contractor engaged for city sanitation work, even though dues related to Provident Fund (PF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) of sanitation workers remained unpaid. He termed the matter a financial offence and alleged that the contractor was being protected despite serious violations. According to Mishra, the sanitation contract was awarded from April 2021 to December 2022 and later extended till February 2023. He claimed that after workers went on strike over unpaid wages, the corporation directly paid salaries and deducted Rs 2.73 crore from the contractor’s bills.

 

He further alleged that PF and ESI liabilities amounting to nearly Rs 1.5 crore are still pending. The BJP Corporator stated that four former commissioners, IAS officer Rohit Vyas, Devesh Dhruv, Lokesh Chandrakar and Bajrang Dubey, had reportedly withheld payments to the contractor. However, he alleged that Rs 13 lakh was transferred to the contractor’s account on March 25, the same day the general body passed a proposal seeking the commissioner’s removal. Mishra also alleged discrepancies in PF records and demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. He warned that the issue would be pursued before the EOW and the courts if necessary.