JOIN USRajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sought an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) into the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) finances from 2010 onwards and into the 900 plus accounts being operated by the Palike in private and public sector banks.
In a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Chandrasekhar has stated, “The State government gives the excuse of lack of funds for development of the City, whereas the BBMP’s financial management tells a different story. That of the large-scale misappropriation of funds, illegal transactions, rampant misuse and siphoning off funds by some corrupt officials through a maze of more than 900 banks accounts deliberately opened to manipulate the funds.”
The City-based MP pointed out the deliberate mismanagement and misuse of hundreds of crores of rupees collected as revenues and taxes, resulting in funds not being available for the development of the City.
Massive fraud
He said such a massive fraud happened due to the failure to introduce mandatory accounting standards such as National Municipal Accounting Manual or the Karnataka Municipal Accounting and Budget Rules.
Expressing his shock over the BBMP’s finances not being audited for the last many decades, Chandrasekhar said the CAG audit of the BBMP in 2009-10 exposed large-scale financial irregularities.
He said citizens had voted for a clean administration in the BBMP and this was impossible if there was no financial and accounting transparency and integrity.
Chandrasekhar demanded a special audit to bring the culprits to book and locate the diverted funds that belonged to the citizens.