Bhayandar: In a startling revelation which could open a can of worms in the rampant illegalities and massive corruption prevailing in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the internal audit wing has pointed out discrepancies in recovery via cheques deposited by citizens for payment towards property tax, which bounced due to various reasons.
The matter came to light in the audit report tabled by the internal agencies which have found its place in the agenda of the standing committee meeting to be held on July 24.
The report states a large number of cheques deposited with the MBMC for payment of property tax bounced mainly due to insufficient balance in the account of the tax payer, among other reasons.
However, officials from the concerned zone neither initiate recovery proceedings by slapping fines and penal interest nor did they red flag the property tax account in their official ledger that had caused huge losses to the civic exchequer last year.
Expressing concerns about the negative impact on the budgetary planning for the current fiscal, standing committee chief Adv Ravi Vyas had demanded detailed audit reports to ensure accountability on depts responsible for revenue generation.
The MBMC is already under the scanner for ignoring audit objections involving public money for the past decade. The internal audit wing is mandated to assess the income and expenditure of all depts and seek clarifications on doubtful transactions.
Though it is mandatory to provide the necessary information in a specific time frame, most of the cases stand unattended and continue to appear on the list of audit objections.
