Arrears to ghost employees, seven Ludhiana MC employees suspended
The move comes after objections were raised by a team of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) during an audit of documents from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023
MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi has suspended seven employees of the civic body for their alleged involvement in transferring arrears amounting to over ₹2 crore to 44 fake employees in the municipal corporation.
The move comes after objections were raised by a team of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) during an audit of documents from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.
“I formed a committee few weeks ago, and after thorough investigations, it was revealed that 2.16 crore were transferred to these bogus employees, whose records are not with MC. I’ve recommended filing an FIR against 51 employees, including 44 bogus names mentioned in the complaint. Show cause notices will also be issued to senior officials from the local audit branch. Notices will also be sent to other officials within the department implicated in this scam.”
The probe by the committee revealed a network of ghost employees within the department, who received substantial arrear payments with the connivance of senior officials, including the seven suspended MC employees.
The suspended employees include Rajesh Kumar (clerk, now sanitary inspector with MC Jalandhar), Hem Raj (clerk and now sanitary inspector), Harsh Grover (clerk), Manish Malhotra (clerk), Kamal Kumar (safai sewak), Mintu Kumar Bunty (safai sewak), and Ramesh Kumar Bobby (safai sewak).
{{/usCountry}}The suspended employees include Rajesh Kumar (clerk, now sanitary inspector with MC Jalandhar), Hem Raj (clerk and now sanitary inspector), Harsh Grover (clerk), Manish Malhotra (clerk), Kamal Kumar (safai sewak), Mintu Kumar Bunty (safai sewak), and Ramesh Kumar Bobby (safai sewak).
{{/usCountry}}The probe further revealed approval of fake bills by senior employees, and show cause notices are expected to be issued to them as well. CAG officials sought documents related to suspicious employees, but records were not found within the department, raising concerns about transparency and human resource management in the municipal corporation.
{{/usCountry}}The probe further revealed approval of fake bills by senior employees, and show cause notices are expected to be issued to them as well. CAG officials sought documents related to suspicious employees, but records were not found within the department, raising concerns about transparency and human resource management in the municipal corporation.
{{/usCountry}}This incident echoes a similar situation in 2018 when around 70 alleged ‘ghost employees’ were exposed, leading to calls for a vigilance inquiry. However, the Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee opposed the inquiry, and the matter remained unresolved.
{{/usCountry}}This incident echoes a similar situation in 2018 when around 70 alleged ‘ghost employees’ were exposed, leading to calls for a vigilance inquiry. However, the Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee opposed the inquiry, and the matter remained unresolved.
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