7 sacked over Madhya Pradesh fund misuse before related videos surfaced: Official

Madhya Pradesh officials dismissed seven employees and halted salary increments for 135 others following allegations of inflated costs in municipal procurement. A senior state bureaucrat stated that disciplinary measures began prior to the viral circulation of internal meeting footage last Friday. The additional chief secretary of the urban development and housing department, Sanjay Dubey, outlined the sanctions on Sunday. He described the proceedings as a routine monitoring exercise designed to identify anomalies in purchasing practices across civic bodies. The department claimed to have recovered between three and four crore rupees and initiated proceedings against more than 80 contractors and suppliers. The controversy centers on a video leaked from a departmental gathering held at the Sunderlal Patwa Urban Development Training Institute in Bhauri, Bhopal. During the session, Dubey confronted chief municipal officers regarding disparities in expenditure for identical goods. He noted that 374 urban local bodies procured items worth 1,134 crore rupees through the Government e-Marketplace over three years. Analysis suggested that purchasing at average market rates could have saved approximately 250 crore rupees. Dubey asserted that the department tracked specific purchases, including locations, quantities, and unit prices. Dubey cited waste management vehicles as a primary example of irregularity. He pointed out that one municipality acquired a garbage truck for 2 lakh rupees, while another paid 6 lakh rupees for a comparable vehicle that included four dustbins. Some civic bodies purchased trucks valued at up to 1.5 crore rupees despite lacking sufficient wards to deploy such fleets. Dubey questioned the operational status of these expensive assets, stating that the department did not know where the vehicles were actually deployed. He warned that previous leniency toward such oversights would end immediately. Anshuman Raj, additional managing director of the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation, presented data highlighting extreme price variations for standard supplies. He referenced a case in Barodiya Kala where 97 lakh rupees worth of GI octagonal and continuous poles were bought. Raj expressed doubt about whether the locality had enough installation sites for that volume of infrastructure. He also highlighted discrepancies in chemical procurement, noting that phenolic disinfectant was recorded at 5 rupees per liter in one transaction and 33,000 rupees in another. Specifically, the Sardarpur urban local body purchased 2,500 liters for 1.35 lakh rupees, while a separate entry from the Rajgarh area showed a significantly higher cost from a vendor identified as RG. Further examples included lighting fixtures. Dubey mentioned that a 60-watt LED light cost 306 rupees in one district but was recorded at 11,800 rupees in Bhopal. The total value for that specific Bhopal procurement was reported as 3.78 lakh rupees. Urban Administration Commissioner Sanket Bhondve attended the meeting alongside various departmental staff. Dubey’s office characterized the incident as a standard audit process aimed at ensuring transparency. They stated that errant officials are regularly identified and penalized to maintain fair procurement standards. Political opposition reacted swiftly to the disclosures. Jitu Patwari, the state president of the Congress party, criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party-led administration. He cited the purchase of a bulb for 36,000 rupees and a bucket for 2 lakh rupees as evidence of systemic mismanagement. Patwari pledged to bring these financial irregularities to the attention of the general public. Dubey maintained that the videos served an educational purpose during an April training session. He emphasized that the goal was to sensitize officials to their responsibilities and the department’s oversight mechanisms. The official denied that the footage was meant to highlight misconduct for political gain, insisting it demonstrated the seriousness with which the state treats public fund utilization. Disciplinary actions remain ongoing as investigations continue into further contracts and supplier relationships.