Audit Bomb of ₹35 Crore Rocks Municipal Corporation*
Illegal benefits given to leaders, relatives, business tycoons, hoteliers; door-to-door waste collection and lake boating tenders under scrutiny*
Udaipur – After the storm of a ₹750 crore audit recovery report from UDA, now a massive financial irregularity worth ₹35 crore has been exposed in the Municipal Corporation of Udaipur. The audit report has shaken the corridors of power, implicating relatives of political leaders, industrialists, and influential individuals. This report has been submitted to Municipal Commissioner Ramprakash, and action is awaited from his end.
The report, prepared by the Local Fund Audit Department under the supervision of Additional Director T.R. Agrawal, unveils serious financial misconducts. The former Commissioner Himmat Singh Barhat and subsequent officers have been held accountable. The state government has also been informed, and deeper investigations and audits have been recommended.
### Fraudulent Freehold Lease Allotments
- Under the “Prashasan Shehron Ke Sang” campaign, freehold lease of 4,780 sq. ft. land on Station Road, Surajpole was allotted to Roshanlal and others without charging land-use conversion fees and GST, leading to a revenue loss of ₹47.80 lakh.
- In another case, Fatehlal Suhalka was allotted a commercial plot on Hiran Magri Sector 13's main road for ₹1.65 crore. Later, the plot area was reduced from 1,196.60 sq. ft. to 832.479 sq. ft. without valid justification, causing a ₹50.23 lakh loss.
- Anbikesh and Vinod Paneri received freehold leases on plots measuring 39,048 and 34,871 sq. ft., respectively, based on ‘Proof of Right’. However, plots above 5,000 sq. ft. require state approval. The illegal allotment caused a ₹36.15 lakh loss.
### Land Misuse and Revenue Losses
- Bharat and Madan Devi were given freehold leases in Bohra Ganeshji area without land-use conversion from residential to mixed-use, leading to a loss of ₹23.77 lakh.
- Pradeep Singh and others constructed additional floors on a residential freehold property on Bedla Road for commercial use without conversion, costing the city ₹82.24 lakh.
- Across 61 cases, residential-titled plots were converted for mixed or commercial use without approvals, causing a massive ₹8.22 crore loss.
### High-Profile Allotments Under Scrutiny
- Deepak Chugh received a lease for plots 385 and 386 in Hiran Magri without proper integration and usage change, causing a ₹17.55 lakh loss.
- Tarika Patni was allotted 1,800 sq. ft. of land at Ahinsa Circle without auction, resulting in a ₹46.59 lakh loss.
- Rakesh Mandawat and others received 8,728 sq. ft. of land in Govardhan Vilas without valid documents and auction process, leading to a ₹3.06 crore loss.
### Irregularities Involving Religious and Commercial Institutions
- Vardhman Sthanakvasi Jain Shravak Sansthan received 1,800 sq. ft. land in Sector 4 without auction, resulting in a ₹20.91 lakh loss.
- Jasmeet Arora, Navneet Singh, and others received land for commercial and hotel use without proper conversion or amalgamation, leading to cumulative losses of over ₹1 crore.
### Major Losses in Hotel and Hospitality Sector Allotments
- Alka Hotel’s managing partner Rishit Bhandari and others were given freehold leases for hotel purposes near Shastri Circle without charging lease fees and GST, costing ₹1.11 crore.
- Mansoor Ali and others were given a hotel lease in Alkapuri, incurring a loss of ₹85.10 lakh.
- Naveenchand and others were allotted land in Nayapura Nadakha for commercial use without conversion, causing a ₹16.98 lakh loss.
### Irregularities in Waste Collection and Boating Contracts
- In the door-to-door waste collection tender, technical evaluation gave lower marks to corporations' own resources, allowing a higher-bidding firm to qualify, resulting in a ₹98.43 lakh loss.
- Auto-tippers were procured at a cost of ₹4.19 crore but remained unused.
- In waste collection from commercial establishments, 50% revenue share was not received in time due to poor enforcement, causing a ₹2.60 crore loss.
- During the COVID-19 period, boating contracts on Lake Pichola and Swaroop Sagar were extended to contractors in violation of state orders and tender conditions, incurring ₹15.06 lakh in losses.
This audit report exposes how systemic flaws and favoritism led to significant revenue losses for Udaipur’s Municipal Corporation. Action against the involved officers and beneficiaries is awaited.
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