Berhampur: Alleging corruption and misuse of public funds in the urban body, senior BJP leader and Odisha State Bar Council member, Pitabas Panda and has sought steps for the immediate dissolution of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC).
Citing information obtained through RTI application, Panda urged the state government to initiate a comprehensive and impartial special audit to unravel the alleged murky financial dealings that have reportedly plagued the civic body.
BeMC has spent Rs 1,49,69,614 during the celebration of Local Self Government Day in three years, he claimed. While Rs 44,73,891 was spent during 2022, Rs 58,93,279 was spent in 2023 and Rs 46,24,038 in 2024, he said quoting the RTI report. In 2022, an amount of Rs 96,600 was spent on printing of invitation cards and Rs 11 lakh on feast only. Other expenditures during 2022 are Rs 25 lakhs on decorations and stage management. Similarly, Rs 10 lakhs have been spent on food charges in 2023 and another Rs 10 lakhs paid to Panorama Hotel and Resorts, Rs 23 lakhs spent for decoration. During 2024, Rs 17 lakhs have been spent on food charges. This is purely public money and misutilisation of funds, Panda alleged.
The RTI report further states that there was misutilisation of funds from the MLALAD (Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development) scheme fund. The funds allotted by former MLA Berhampur Bikram Panda has been utilised for one project in different heads. MLALAD funds was sanctioned four times for construction of boys and girls’ toilets in Binayak Acharya College during 2023-24. He also cited many other instances of allegations.
He also put forward serious allegations of misappropriation of funds against BeMC to tackle mosquito menace. BeMC spent Rs 8,21,424 on mosquito oil between 2019-2024, purchasing Bayer company’s larvicidal oil from Annapurna Agriculture Agencies, revealed Pitabas through RTI application earlier. When the BeMC claims to have sprayed the mosquito oil regularly, in the RTI reply it has stated to have purchased only 300-plus litres in five years. The total quantity procured by the BeMC was merely 331 litres for 42 wards over five years, averaging just 50 litres annually, which is ridiculous, he said. Also, the BeMC purchased mosquito larvicidal oil at Rs 2,548 per litre, 13 times above the market rates of Rs 190-Rs 200, he said.
Alleging that the civic body has failed to provide basic amenities to the public, Panda said huge taxes are being collected from the public on House Tax and Users Fee. Huge taxes are being imposed from the public on Trade license, Marriage registration and make shift vendors. The rent of the shop rooms provided by the BeMC are being increased every year. But the condition of roads, drains are very pathetic. The sanitation is overlooked. It is a betrayal of the people’s mandate underscoring the need for stringent accountability, he said.
BeMC current term, which began after the 2022 Odisha municipal elections, is scheduled to end in 2027.
