By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun/Pauri, 4 Jul: Even as the Dehradun Nagar Nigam sanitation scam continues to make headlines, another major scam has now come to light in Pauri Garhwal district. This latest fraud, valued at Rs 75 lakhs, involves payment for sanitation services across 15 development blocks and this has been revealed in response to a RTI query. A probe has been ordered and the District Magistrate is personally overseeing the investigation.
The Pauri District Panchayat has once again attracted scrutiny, this time over the misuse of funds earmarked for sanitation. It has been revealed that Rs 75 lakhs, allocated for sanitation and cleaning operations across multiple development blocks, was fraudulently deposited into the bank account of the wife of a contractual sanitation worker who had been hired through UPNL. The incident reportedly dates back to January 2023.
According to the official findings, tenders for cleaning services were floated in a covert manner in all the 15 blocks under the District Panchayat. A senior administrative officer, currently under suspension, has been implicated in orchestrating the entire process.
It is alleged that the senior officer acquired the bank account details of the UPNL employee’s wife by promising her a job. Subsequently, the entire tendering process was channelled through this account. The sanitation worker in question himself claims ignorance of the operation and has reportedly approached the Dehradun Vigilance Office on three to four occasions since March. Meanwhile, owing to the gravity of the allegations, calls for a formal vigilance probe have intensified.
This case has thrown a spotlight once again on questionable practices within the District Panchayat. Allegations of deliberate tampering with official records have surfaced, leading to the officer’s suspension. According to the financial audit report for 2024–25, Rs 75 lakhs was deposited into the sanitation worker’s wife’s account under the pretence of executing cleaning works. The matter came to light when local resident and RTI activist Karan Rawat filed an RTI application.
Speaking to media persons, Rawat shared that in the first week of June 2025, he had received the RTI response that detailed the entire scam. He promptly submitted a complaint to the Garhwal Commissioner, who subsequently forwarded the file to the District Magistrate, Pauri, for investigation. The RTI response reveals that tenders were approved in the names of three family members of the sanitation worker across 15 blocks.
He further pointed out that none of these individuals had any prior experience, GST registration, or other statutory approvals. Yet, they were awarded contracts worth millions. Two sanitation workers were assigned per block (30 blocks in total) an earning of Rs 15,000 per month. An additional 10 workers, tasked with VIP and remote duties, were paid Rs 1,000 per day or Rs 30,000 monthly. The tender was active from January to September 2023.
Rawat has alleged widespread misappropriation of public funds disguised as contractual payments and demanded a full vigilance inquiry along with the registration of an FIR against those responsible.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Swati Bhadauria has confirmed that her office has received the case file from the Garhwal Commissioner and stated that the relevant documents were under scrutiny. She indicated that further action would follow upon completion of the investigation report.
It may be recalled that the revelation comes in the wake of the Dehradun Nagar Nigam sanitation scam, wherein an elaborate fraud involving 99 fictitious sanitation workers was uncovered in 2024. Between 2019 and 2023, several crores of rupees were siphoned off. A probe by the Chief Development Officer (CDO) had revealed that in 22 out of 100 wards, salaries and Provident Fund amounts were being claimed for workers who never existed in reality. It was further found that the municipal corporators had falsely listed relatives, spouses, and party associates as sanitation workers for over five years. So far, no serious action has been taken even in this case.
