26 April,2010 09:58 AM IST | | Alifiya Khan
Civic chief appoints inquiry committee in response to accusations by Sikhs and RTI activists that Rajpal 'illegally' dipped into PMC coffers to make donation of Rs 30 lakh for Baisakhi celebrationsu00a0
Following widespread protests by the Sikh community against Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal for allegedly using funds from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for Baisakhi celebrations, the municipal commissioner has ordered an inquiry into the controversy.
Recently, the PMC had donated Rs 30 lakh, of which Rs 15 lakh was given in advance, for Baisakhi celebrations in the city.
According to civic officials, PMC was a co-sponsor for the event along with an NGO, Satsangsewa Foundation.
Later, members of the Sikh community and civic activists alleged that Rajpal, who had mooted the donation proposal, had flouted rules, as the NGO was an unregistered organisation.
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Also, the civic body isn't entitled to sanction any amount for co-sponsoring events without inviting tenders. MiD DAY was the first to report this allegation of graft against the Mayor on April 16.
"Two senior officers from vigilance and a chief auditor will inquire into the incident and we will take appropriate action," said Mahesh Zagade, PMC commissioner.
Flak from party
According to sources, Rajpal is facing criticism from within his party, the NCP, as well with many corporators expressing dissatisfaction over his decisions.
"This isn't the first time his donations are proving to be costly. Being the Mayor he should have been more careful about following rules but he is more concerned about his publicity stunts," said an angry party member.
MLC and city unit chief of NCP Vandana Chavan admitted that the Mayor was probably going overboard with his donations.
"I have heard a lot of noise over this, though I am yet to get all details of the incident. Yes, we need to make donations for cultural events as we are a culturally rich city. But how much and to what extent needs to be fixed. This policy of indiscriminate funding needs to be checked," she said.
