An audit report has flagged various issues in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) that caused revenue loss to the local body.
The Consolidated Audit Report of the Director General of Audit/Director of Local Fund Audit Department for 2021-22 - Part I (Urban Local Bodies) was tabled in the Assembly last week.
Among the issues highlighted in the report is the “unfruitful expenditure” of ₹22.26 crore spent on storm-water drainage work in Kovalam basin. According to the report, it was executed without getting NOC from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), and abandoned later.
It flagged a revenue loss of ₹49 lakh due to the non-collection of storm-water drain charges during 2021-22. Short collection of various charges, including building plan approvals, led to a revenue loss of ₹42 lakh.
The delayed assessment of property tax in contrast to the completion certificate led to a revenue loss of ₹27 lakh in Zone 5 of the GCC, it said. Iron rods’ quantity was calculated in excess for building works carried out in various departments of the GCC, leading to a loss of ₹13.37 lakh.
Slaughter house collection was carried out by the Corporation officials as a department collection process instead of leasing it out. But the money value bill books, and remittance challan regarding the department collection were not produced for audit verification, the report said.
Over 3.14 lakh goats were slaughtered in the Saidapet slaughter house between 2017-2018, and 2021-2022. “A sum of ₹11,02,255 collected by the official for the purpose of slaughtering of goats between 2017-2018, and 2021-2022 - at the rate of ₹3.50 a goat was not remitted in the Greater Chennai Corporation account,” the report noted.
The report has also flagged various practices that led to revenue loss in other Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and town panchayats across the State.
