Special team to audit accounts of three Hills civic bodies

Suman Chakraborti | TNN | Jun 12, 2017,KOLKATA: After ordering an audit of the GTA accounts, the Mamata Banerjee government has also decided to send special audit teams from the state finance department to conduct a special audit of accounts of the GJM-ruled Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong municipalities from Monday. The state had issued a notification under provisions of Section 90 of the West Bengal Municipal Act 1993 in this regard last Friday.

Officers of the state urban development and municipal affairs department said physical verification of assets and performance audit on funds released from 2012-13 onwards will be done by the audit teams and reports will be submitted in two weeks. The special team has been vested with powers of auditor, having power to seek records under Section 86 of the West Bengal Municipal Act. The audit teams will be led by the director of local bodies Sunil Sikder.

According to state secretariat sources, the decision is more of a political one that has been taken by the government following the recent trouble that broke out in the Hills. "The attempt is to check whether transparency is being maintained in these three municipalities, with special focus on how they have utilised government funds," said a government official.

Prodded by the chief minister, Mirik municipality will hand over land patta to more than 2500 families this month. They will hand over land patta, conferring land rights to residents of Mirik in terms of the state government policy formulated for the purpose.

Officials said that presently plots in Mirik are not recorded in favour of the residents for which they are finding difficulties enjoying property rights for sale, purchase and availing bank loans.