Mohali MC buys Rs 5 lakh petrol for bush cutters not in use

MOHALI: Eyebrows have been raised over the working of the municipal corporation (MC) after a filling station owner has raised Rs 5 lakh bills for petrol purchased by civic body officials for an year to operate 10 bush cutters, prompting the local bodies department to mark an inquiry.



"The MC officials have been purchasing 50 litres of petrol daily for bush cutters, but never paid the amount. We have sent a reminder for the clearance of the bills pending since April 2017," said the owner of a petrol pump at Phase IIIA said. Surprisingly, the MC had claimed they are not using bush cutters.

Municipal corporation deputy mayor Manjit Singh Sethi, who had raised the issue, said, "In an RTI reply, the MC claimed that no bush cutter is in use. It has been observed that the MC has 10 bush cutters that operated on petrol and three are attached to a tractor for cutting grass. How is 50 litres petrol being drawn on a daily basis for bush cutters when the work for bush and grass cutting has been outsourced by the MC for past many years."

Sethi said the 50 litres of petrol being used daily counts to major loss to MC as at such high price of petrol in Mohali and bills are being drawn at approximately Rs 4,500 per day which has no account.