Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cash-strapped Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), which does not even distribute salaries to its employees in time, spends crores of rupees for functions of other departments. However, expenses are reimbursed to BMC, officials say.

According to sources, recently BMC’s one of top officials was transferred after he refused to meet the demand in such function. BMC being a civic body has to press its teams at ground level for local support.

Various programmes are held at Motilal Nehru Stadium, Lal Parade Ground, Jamboree (BHEL) Maidan, BHEL Dusshera Maidan and BMC teams are pressed into service on ground.

BMC manages all works including arrangement of tents, decorations, flowers, carpets, water supply, cleanliness, leveling ground, etc. BMC Leader of Opposition (LoP) Shabista Zaki said, “BMC administration makes arrangement of all the affairs like tents, decorations, carpets, water supply, etc. On these heads, huge amount is spent.

These unnecessary expenses lands BMC in deep financial crisis. Even octrai is not paid timely by the State government to BMC. BMC is already in financial crisis so it does not distribute salaries to its employees in time.”

BMC Employees Union president Ashok Verma said, “Even after spending huge fund in such programme, BMC is reimbursed fund from the concerned departments.

So it does incur any kind of loss to the BMC administration. Basically, BMC being local civic body, it has to spend money on making such elaborate arrangement.”

Nidhi Singh, BMC additional commissioner, said, “BMC administration initially spends fund on government programmes and then, it is reimbursed by the concerned department or Urban Administration Directorate. So ultimately, BMC gets its fund. BMC administration has to do this job as being civic body; it has employees so any department instructs BMC for help and support.”

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