BJP leader alleges fund misuse by BeMC

Berhampur: The BJP leader, Pitabas Panda, has demanded dissolution of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) on charges of misutilisation of public funds.

Citing evidence revealed through RTI application, Pitabas has urged the State government to initiate a special audit to unravel the murky financial dealings that have reportedly plagued the civic body.

The BeMC has spent Rs 1.49 crore during the celebration of Local Self Government Day in three years. While Rs 44.73 lakh was spent in 2022, Rs 58.93 lakh was spent in 2023 and Rs 46.24 lakh was spent in 2024, said Pitabas quoting the RTI report. In 2022, Rs 96,600 was spent on printing of invitation cards and Rs 11 lakh on feast only. Other expenditures during 2022 are Rs 25 lakh on decorations and stage management. Similarly, Rs 10 lakh was spent on food charges in 2023 and another Rs 10 lakh was paid to a hotel and Rs 23 lakh was spent for decoration. During 2024, Rs 17 lakh was spent on food charges. Thus, public money was misutilised, Pitabas alleged.