BY ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 7 Jun: An FIR has been filed with regard to the major salary scam in the Mohalla Swachhata Samitis (neighbourhood sanitation committees) of Dehradun Municipal Corporation (also called as Doon Nagar Nigam). The FIR has been filed with the City Kotwali Dehradun. The scam, which ran for five years, involved fraudulent salary payments to 99 non-existent sanitation workers, causing a financial loss of nearly Rs 9 crore to the government. The complaint was filed by Deputy Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Bhasin, following an investigation ordered by the then District Magistrate, Sonika.
The fraud was first exposed in January 2024 when the then Chief Development Officer (CDO) initiated an inquiry on the orders of then DM Sonika. The probe confirmed that between 2019 and 2023, salaries were withdrawn in the names of fake employees. It was also revealed that several councillors had allegedly misused government funds by listing their relatives, wives, and party workers as sanitation employees to claim salaries fraudulently.
The Municipal Corporation took action after the Uttarakhand High Court, on May 23, 2025, sought a response from the state government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Vikesh Negi. Following this, an FIR was lodged at the City Kotwali, and a criminal investigation was initiated. The case will examine the involvement of the presidents, secretaries, and treasurers of the sanitation committees. The next High Court hearing is scheduled for July 7, 2025, and police have begun scrutinising financial records and official documents.
In 2019, 100 Mohalla Swachhata Samitis were formed under the Haridwar Municipal Corporation, each with a designated president, secretary, and treasurer responsible for salary distribution. Bank accounts were opened in the name of these committees, where salaries were transferred by the Municipal Corporation.
The investigation found that while the official employee count was 985 till November 2023, it dropped to 921 in December. Physical verification revealed that 99 employees were completely fake. With an average salary of Rs 15,000 per employee, fraudulent payments amounted to Rs 14.85 lakh per month, totalling approximately Rs 8.91 crore over five years.
The Municipal Corporation confirmed the presence of fake employees based on verified lists submitted by the committees, signed by their respective presidents, secretaries, and treasurers. These fraudulent payments were allegedly made with their involvement.
Nagar Kotwali SHO Pradeep Pant has also confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the office-bearers of the sanitation committees based on the complaint by Deputy Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Bhasin. Police will now investigate their roles, examining documentary evidence and bank records. If the allegations are proven, strict criminal charges will be filed against the accused officials.
The FIR has been registered in connection with the Mohalla Swachhata Samiti (Neighbourhood Sanitation Committee) salary scam, following a complaint by Dehradun Municipal Corporation Deputy Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Bhasin. The case specifically calls for an investigation into the presidents, secretaries, and treasurers of the sanitation committees, employees appointed through the private company hired by the Municipal Corporation, and councillors whose family members were falsely listed as sanitation workers to receive salaries.
There is growing speculation that the scope of the investigation may widen further, potentially bringing some Municipal Corporation officials under scrutiny for their alleged involvement in facilitating the scam. The possibility of deeper collusion within the system is now being examined, raising concerns about the extent of administrative negligence and corruption.
The revelation that such large-scale financial fraud continued unchecked for five years in a city like Dehradun has sparked serious questions about both political and administrative credibility. This scam is not merely about the misappropriation of public funds; it also exposes the glaring lack of transparency and accountability within the municipal governance structure.
With the FIR now in place, public and civil society organizations are closely monitoring the developments, eager to see whether the guilty will be held accountable or if this case, like many others, will eventually be buried under bureaucratic delays and legal technicalities.
Congress has also raised concern over the scam and demanded a deeper probe into the scam.
