Following heated discussions between various members and legislators during a council meeting, the Belgaum City Corporation has made the decision to launch an inquiry into allegations of document manipulation by unidentified individuals within the local urban body.
The decision was reached during a corporation meeting in Belgaum on Saturday. Members of the ruling BJP asserted that certain officials had provided incorrect information to the government regarding the corporation’s decision to raise tax rates. This misinformation prompted the government to issue a stern warning of potential repercussions.
Member of Legislative Assembly Abhay Patil highlighted that some officials had tampered with essential details in the records of the corporation’s meetings. He stated that although members had agreed to revise property tax rates for the current year, the officials had altered it to 2024-2025. This alteration incited the State government’s ire, leading to the issuance of a show-cause notice regarding the possible takeover of the corporation. Patil expressed his intent to request the Union Public Service Commission to take action against the involved officials.
Furthermore, Patil accused certain officials of making appointments for pourakarmikas, municipal workers, without adhering to due process, purportedly under the influence of political leaders and certain members.
District in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi was accused by Patil of engaging in political maneuvering within the corporation and interfering in its daily operations. However, Minister Jarkiholi dismissed the allegations, describing the change in dates as a clerical error that the BJP was exaggerating.
Jarkiholi also expressed his intention to recommend an inquiry into multiple matters, encompassing financial misappropriation, subpar quality of work undertaken by the corporation, Belgaum Urban Development Authority, Smart City projects, and more. He raised suspicions of Mr. Patil’s involvement in the theft and manipulation of housing documents.
Another Member of Legislative Assembly, Asif (Raju) Sait, emphasized that officials wield limited power in comparison to elected members and urged vigilance on their part to prevent mishaps. He called for an investigation into whether the Mayor and Deputy Mayor had signed the copies of proceedings before forwarding them to the State government or if their signatures had been forged.
In parallel developments, Mayor Shobha Somanache has initiated legal action related to the manipulation of corporation documents, and corporation commissioner Ashok Dudagunti has filed a case concerning the theft of certain documents.
The State government’s show-cause notice, received the previous week, identifies three irregularities: a delay of over three years in revising tax rates, the appointment of pourakarmikas in contravention of rules, and lapses in adhering to protocol-related regulations.
