T’puram: A statewide vigilance inspection has found that 30 officials in local self-govt institutions allegedly received around Rs 45 lakh through bank transactions from contractors, consultants, engineers, architects and agents involved in building permit and plan approval processes.The findings emerged during ‘Operation Parppidam’, a statewide surprise inspection carried out on Wednesday under the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau’s (VACB) Project Zero initiative aimed at detecting corruption and irregularities in building permits, occupancy certificates, building numbering, property tax assessment and regularisation of unauthorised constructions.The inspection covered 68 offices, including all six municipal corporations, 30 selected municipalities and 24 grama panchayats, following intelligence inputs about widespread corruption in local body building approval processes.Among the major findings, vigilance found suspicious online transactions amounting to Rs 21.5 lakh in the bank account of the municipal secretary of Kunnamkulam municipality in Thrissur over the past year. The money is suspected to have been transferred through intermediaries by contractors and licence holders. The official concerned could not satisfactorily explain the transactions.At Fort Kochi zonal office of Kochi corporation, two assistant engineers, an overseer and a building inspector allegedly received a total of Rs 12.69 lakh from contractors through online transfers. One assistant engineer alone is suspected to have received Rs 4.92 lakh from a contractor through his own and relatives’ bank accounts, besides getting Rs 52,000 paid by the same contractor as rent for his flat. Another assistant engineer allegedly received Rs 5.03 lakh, an overseer Rs 2.17 lakh and a building inspector Rs 5,000.In Thiruvananthapuram, an overseer at Neyyattinkara municipality allegedly received Rs 1.37 lakh from contractors, while a temporary overseer at Varkala municipality received Rs 2.03 lakh in multiple transactions from the owner of a consultancy firm. Vigilance also seized Rs 45,000 in unaccounted cash from the private vehicle of a surveyor at Nedumangad municipality.In Wayanad, vigilance found that a temporary sanitation employee at Ambalavayal grama panchayat had received Rs 2.8 lakh in multiple bank transfers from a building plan licence holder. At Sulthan Bathery municipality, an assistant engineer allegedly received Rs 1.16 lakh and two overseers received Rs 51,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively from contractors.Apart from financial irregularities, vigilance found widespread violations in the processing of building permits and occupancy certificates.Vigilance director Manoj Abraham said detailed follow-up investigations would be conducted into the corruption and irregularities detected during the operation and stringent legal action would be initiated.
