Ghost worker scam cost ailing LMC Rs 25 crore over a year

LUCKNOW: While Lucknow Municipal Corporation is reeling under financial crisis, it has been found that the sanitary worker scambled the corporation of a total of Rs 25 crore last year. The amount was paid to three private agencies as wages for 290 non-existent workers in 2018-19.

The agencies were hired by LMC to supply sanitary workers on a contractual basis. However, in an internal probe, LMC found that though the workers had quit the job a year ago, agencies continued to take money from the corporation.



Areas allotted to these 290 non-existent workers included Gomtinagar, Indiranagar, Vikasnagar, Mahanagar, Nishatganj, Chowk, Jankipuram, Yahyaganj, Charbagh, Aishbagh and Musabagh.

In a report published on April 6, TOI had reported about the scam that rocked LMC

Confirming the findings of the inquiry, additional municipal commissioner Amit Singh said, “We have blacklisted the three agencies and have given them a month to return the money. If they fail to do so, we will take legal action against all of them.”

LMC hires around 4,000 sanitary workers from private players for sweeping of roads, cleaning of drains and collecting garbage from dustbins in various areas of the city.

LMC got a hint of the scam after the GPS-enabled smartwatches introduced by the corporation caught 13 sanitary workers skipping duty on April 4. When it surfaced that many more sanitary workers were skipping duty, LMC conducted an investigation and the scam came to the fore. LMC is now planning legal action against the agencies.