COUNCILORS TERM BUDGET A DOCUMENT OF ‘PLUNDER AND LOOT’

COUNCILORS TERM BUDGET A DOCUMENT OF ‘PLUNDER AND LOOT’

15-MARCH-ENG 9

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------The annual budget meeting of the Ara Municipal Corporation descended into controversy and uproar following a heated altercation between the Mayor and the councilors. The situation during the meeting became so tense that approximately 19 councilors united to raise serious questions regarding the Mayor's working style, labeling the presented budget as a document of sheer ‘plunder and loot.’ The councilors explicitly alleged that there was a complete lack of transparency in the preparation of this budget and that provisions for several key schemes were made in an arbitrary manner.

The most startling stance amidst this entire episode was taken by the Deputy Mayor, who publicly opposed the budget and leveled several allegations against the Mayor. The Deputy Mayor clarified that the Mayor had misled her and, citing urgency, had obtained her signatures on the files. "The Mayor told me to sign quickly; at that moment, I did not fully grasp the situation. She assured me that everything was in order; however, I now strongly oppose this budget and withhold my consent to it. I attempted to voice my concerns during the meeting, but my voice went unheard." While detailing financial irregularities, the Deputy Mayor's representative leveled serious allegations of corruption. Citing specific figures, he pointed out that while ₹8 crore had been allocated in the budget solely for the purchase of dustbins, a sum of ₹20 crore was being recorded under the guise of vehicle maintenance. He alleged that the funds designated for dustbins had been misappropriated through illicit means. Furthermore, a demand was raised for a high-level inquiry into the expenditures incurred for the maintenance of the Corporation's JCBs, tractors, and other equipment. It is alleged that purchases of materials and repair works are being falsely documented through fabricated GST bills issued in the names of the Mayor's personal staff—a practice that directly points to a scam amounting to approximately ₹20 crore.

According to the protesting councilors and the Deputy Mayor, this marks perhaps the first instance in the history of municipal corporations in Bihar where the annual budget failed to secure majority support within the House. The councilors have termed this day a "black day" in the democratic history of the Municipal Corporation.