SHILLONG: The Annual Technical Inspection Report on Urban Local Bodies by the Comptroller and Auditor General for the year ended March 2015 is quite revealing. Among the several irregularities is the lack of accountability in the Shillong Municipal Board.
Paragraph 11.2 of the Accounting Manual for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) stipulates that one of the incomes of ULBs is from parking fees. Further, paragraph 11.44 of the Manual also prescribes that in case of default, ULBs can recover their income through legal proceedings.
According to the CAG report, the parking lot at Motphran was allotted to one E Nongsteng from November 2013 to January 2014 without inviting any tender and without entering into any agreement with the allottee.
In February 2014, SMB calculated dues to the tune of Rs 2.04 lakh from Nongsteng and demanded that the amount be paid within five days. Nongsteng did not pay the amount and the Board too did not initiate any action to recover the dues.
When this was pointed out to the SMB by the auditor, the CEO Shillong Municipality said legal action was initiated in June 2016.
Similarly, the Motphran parking lot was leased out to W Chyne for the period from July 2014 to June 2015 at an agreed amount of Rs 14.20 lakh. Chyne, however, deposited only Rs 10.65 lakh thereby leaving SMB poorer by Rs 3.55 lakh.
The SMB’s reply was that the demolition of the Motphran overbridge resulted in vendors occupying the parking lot and therefore reduction in parking space. This was arbitrarily decided by the allottee without any revision in the terms of the agreement.
Interestingly, the parking lot opposite Anjalee Cinema was allotted to Khasi Hills Sumo Counters Association (KHSCA) for the period 2011-12 for Rs 12 lakh without inviting any tender. The lease was later extended for three years (2012-15) with the lease amount being increased at the rate of five per cent annually above the Rs 12 lakh.
KHSCA paid Rs 1.32 lakh for the period 2013-14 and 2015-15.
The reason given for short payment is that the “parking lot was always empty in that particular year (2013) due to the State General Elections”. The auditor pointed out that elections were held only in February 2013 and not throughout the year to which the SMB has no reply.
The collection of parking fees at the Police Bazar parking lot was given to the Khasi Hills Tourist Taxi Association (KHTTA) for the period January to December 2014 at an amount of Rs 4 lakh, again without inviting any tenders.
The amount was fixed after the SMB conducted an independent enquiry. KHTTA deposited only Rs 2.75 lakh and defaulted on payment of Rs 1.25 lakh.
When this was pointed out, the SMB stated that the KHTTA was aggrieved by the rate fixed and asked that the amount be reduced to Rs 3 lakh out of which KHTTA paid Rs 2.75 lakh, thereby leaving a shortfall of Rs 25,000.
The auditor pointed out that KHTTA’s plea is untenable since the Police Bazar parking lot is the busiest in the city.
These gross anomalies point to the fact that the SMB is functioning like a law unto itself. There are no systems of checks and balances in place with arbitrariness writ large in all the transactions.
An official of the Urban Affairs Department who did not wish to be named says most of the tenders for parking lots are given out to select persons on the recommendation of the respective ministers holding charge of the Department and the officials simply have to abide by their diktat.
No receipts issued
What is also unique to Meghalaya is that receipts are never issued for parking fees.
Only the attendants at the MUDA multi-storey parking lot issue receipts for parking fees.
Those who ask for receipts are given dirty looks as if they are asking for something that is not their right.
Recently a person who parked the vehicle at the Police Bazar parking lot was charged Rs 20 per hour when all other parking lots are charging Rs 10 for the same time.
When he asked why the charges were double that of other parking lots, the attendants who are nearly always drunk said it was none of his business to ask.
The fees are fixed by higher authorities, the attendants said.
The loss of a few lakhs of rupees does not seem to bother the SMB, yet it is always struggling to pay salaries and diverting money from specific schemes for payment of salaries.
