Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi has placed the civic body’s chief accounts officer and finance director, Pravin Jain, on compulsory leave, two days after initiating an inquiry into alleged financial irregularities involving the clearance of bills worth Rs 52 crore.Jain is accused of clearing bills for more than 70 works in a single day on March 30, allegedly without following due procedure or obtaining approvals from the standing committee or the municipal commissioner.On Thursday, Suryawanshi constituted a five-member inquiry committee, headed by additional municipal commissioner Vijay Khorate, to investigate the matter. The panel has also been tasked with examining whether similar practices were followed by the accounts department over the past three years.In an order issued on Friday, the municipal commissioner stated that Jain was sent on leave to ensure a “transparent, fair and unbiased” inquiry. “To ensure that this decision does not affect the functioning of the municipal corporation, chief auditor Pramod Bhosale has been given additional charge of chief accounts officer and the finance department,” the order stated.The issue was raised last week by Standing Committee chairman and BJP corporator Abhishek Barne, who alleged that funds allocated for various works were revised without following due procedure. He also claimed that signatures of several corporators were obtained to clear the bills, raising concerns that some of them could be forged.It may be noted that the civic body is governed by the BJP, which holds a clear majority, while the NCP and Shiv Sena, both part of the Mahayuti, are in the opposition.The civic chief said preliminary findings point to possible violations of budgetary control, financial discipline and approval processes mandated under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949.Civic officials have pointed to violations of norms, as such revisions in funds allocated for development works under the annual budget, which cannot be carried out independently by the chief accounts officer and require approval from the Standing Committee, budget meeting or the municipal commissioner.Meanwhile, opposition parties, including NCP and Shiv Sena, alleged that all corporators whose signatures appear on the proposal to clear the bills belong to the BJP.Shiv Sena leader and Standing Committee member Sulbha Ubale, along with Leader of the Opposition from the NCP, Bhausaheb Bhoir, have demanded a detailed probe by an independent agency instead of an internal inquiry, and called for all findings to be made public.
