Babus hand in multi-crore diesel scam

There is high-level corruption in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The civic body’s ground-level staff are involved in a diesel scam.

In order to curb irregularities, the corporation had introduced an online coupon system, which allowed drivers to fill diesel in their vehicles. As a result, the drivers got handin-glove with the diesel pump operators and began filling only 50 per cent of the actual fuel metered in the counters and pocketed the remaining 50 per cent.

The bunk operators manipulated the metre readings and resold the remaining half of the stolen diesel, back to the civic body. Besides this, the diesel bunk operators had to supply as per the agreement, high speed diesel (HSD) and motor spirit (MS), as per relevant specifications. The bunk operators in nexus with the corporation officials have not been doing so and were not maintaining the diesel stock registers.

According to highly placed sources in the corporation, the civic body, on December 10, 2015 had entered into a three-year agreement with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, which could be extended by two years, through mutual consent. The IOCL had agreed to supply HDS for `45 per litre. Violating the norms, the bunk operators have been selling normal diesel instead of HDS and were even manipulating their sales registers.

Malakpet parking yard has two diesel bunkers with 20,000 litres capacity each. The bunk operators have been supplying 4,400 litres of diesel to its vehicles per day when the actual requirement was only 3,000 litres. Interestingly, they have been producing bills for 4,400 litres. Out of the 4,400 litres the drivers have been filling only 50 per cent of the quantity in their vehicles and were taking money from the bunk operator for remaining 50 per cent. The bunk operators from Khairatabad and Kavadiguda fuel stations have been indulging in similar malpractices. The bunkers have been supplying 5,200 litres of diesel when the actual requirement per day was only 3,500 litres and from Khairatabad fuel station, they have been supplying 4,800 litres, against the required 3,200 litres. A worker at Malakpet parking yard said that the corporation until 2014, had supplied 6,000 litres diesel for 270 vehicles. Now they are supplying 4,400 litres diesel for 81 vehicles.

Sources alleged that the corporation had not been maintaining diesel stock registers since 2012 and were manipulating the bills. Even though the corporation had introduced an online coupon system to curb the irregularities, the assistant engineers who were supposed to sign the coupons while issuing the fuel have been doing it on time. The assistant engineers at the selling point were also dancing to the tune of the bunk operators.

The apathy of the officials has resulted in the denting of more `100 crores revenue of the corporation. Sources said that the spare parts scam which was unearthed in January had caused a loss of `26 crores, while the remaining amount of `100 crores that was lost, is the diesel scam. When queried on the subject, none of the corporation officials were ready to comment.