Nagpur: In a startling allegation against the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Standing Committee chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare on Friday claimed that some civic engineers accept money to avoid visiting project sites, raising serious questions over supervision of public works and accountability within the civic administration.Addressing reporters after the Standing Committee meeting, Dani said she has directed the administration to maintain records of engineers’ field visits. “Some engineers are taking money for not inspecting sites. The administration must keep track of their movements and ensure proper supervision of ongoing projects,” she said.Dani also expressed suspicion over the use of vehicles hired by the civic body, saying there was no proper record of their deployment. She questioned a proposal seeking post-facto approval for Rs53.14 lakh spent on hiring vehicles by the workshop department in 2024.The Standing Committee chairperson pointed out that although the department was allocated Rs5 crore, the expenditure of Rs53.14 lakh had not been properly recorded. The hired fleet included eight open tippers and two backhoe loaders, deployed through MM Engineers to lift tree branches and leaf litter in the Dharampeth zone.Calling for greater transparency, Dani instructed officials to adopt technology-based vehicle tracking systems and returned the proposal to the workshop department for further scrutiny.The Standing Committee also criticised the electrical department for failing to complete the tender process for maintenance of streetlights. The contracts for LED streetlight maintenance had expired in April 2025 and were extended till March 31 this year. As fresh tenders are still not finalised, the department sought approval to pay Rs9.35 crore to existing contractors for the extended period. While approving the proposal, Dani directed officials to complete the fresh tender process without further delay.Dani also questioned the education department over the delayed proposal for reappointing sports teachers. “Schools have already reopened. The department has been sleeping over the recruitment process for the last four years,” she said.She noted that NMC schools currently face a shortage of over 100 teachers. Pointing out that the number of municipal schools has declined from around 400 to nearly 100, Dani said every effort must be made to prevent further decline while approving the proposal for teacher reappointments.# Wasim Khan seeks FIR, compensation in electrocution caseCongress corporator and Standing Committee member Wasim Khan raised the issue of Afroz Begum’s electrocution in Auliya Colony, Tajbagh, allegedly caused during sewer line works under the Amrut scheme. He demanded adequate compensation for the bereaved family, strict action against the contractor and officials responsible, and sought details of the action taken so far.# ‘NO TAX HIKE’Standing Committee rejected the proposed 10% property tax hike; no new taxes in the 2026-27 budgetProperty tax department directed to boost revenue by widening the tax base, recovering dues and auctioning properties of chronic defaultersContractual tenure of veterinarians, para-vets, GIS experts, GIS assistants and PR consultants extended from 6 to 11 monthsElectrical department directed to issue streetlight maintenance tenders and start a real-time dashboard for faulty lights
