The State government has suspended Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) former Chief Accounts Officer R. Govindaraj. Earlier this month, the BBMP had repatriated the official for alleged dereliction of duty and violation of rules in paying bills to contractors.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad told reporters here on Monday that the official had illegally diverted funds under the 14th Finance Commission and State Finance Commission earmarked for approved projects for ward level works. Around ₹400 crore funds under the 14th Finance Commission, ₹125 crore under State Finance Commission, and ₹13 crore earmarked for special infrastructure projects had allegedly been diverted. A wrong opinion given by the official had also resulted in financial loss to the civic body.
“Totally, funds amounting to nearly ₹680 crore have been found to be diverted. A detailed report was submitted to the State government, following which the government decided to suspend the official,” he said.
He said that during the investigation, it was found that ₹89 crore payments had been made offline. “This is serious, as there is no guarantee that double payments have not been made.”
However, he said the enquiry was still on and bank reconciliation was under way. He said the investigating team, headed by Special Commissioner, would submit an interim and final report.
