Guilty of petrol fraud, three LMC workers hold on to their jobs!

LUCKNOW: Strange are the ways of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) where three employees, found guilty of Rs 85 lakh petrol scam, are still continuing with their jobs in their departments.

This is despite the departmental inquiry, vigilance inquiry and enforcement department inquiry that found them guilty of swindling Rs 85 lakh petrol between 2008 and 2012.

Hindustan Times is in possession of the enforcement department report, in which strict action was recommended against these employees.

The recovery of the amount was also recommended, but officials of establishment and administration department allegedly sat over the files.

LMC spends around Rs 2 crore on petrol every year. Foreman Dinesh Bari; Mayaram, petrol station in-charge and Pankaj Awasthi, a sanitation supervisor issued petrol to over 400 vehicles of LMC every day. The trucks were shown having average of just 4 to 10 km per litre while the actual average of vehicles was around 15 km per litre.

The trio used to issue excess petrol to the vehicles and extort money from the drivers who used to sell excess petrol in the market. The connivance came to light during an internal inquiry.

The inquiry committee ordered recovery of Rs 85 lakh from these three staffers and ordered legal action against them in 2012. Surprisingly, the files related to departmental action disappeared for nearly four years from the establishment department where these employees enjoyed clout. Some officials and clerical staff are also under the scanner because the file which recommended action against the erring staff was held up for years.

However municipal commissioner Udairaj Singh said the matter had now been brought to his notice and FIR would be filed against the erring employees. Mayaram has retired now, but he will have to face action, said Singh.