Thiruvananthapuram | The VACB has detected widespread irregularities and suspected corruption in the issuance of building permits, occupancy certificates and regularisation of unauthorised constructions during a statewide surprise inspection conducted across local self-government institutions in Kerala, officials said on Thursday.
The inspection, codenamed "Operation Parppidom", was carried out on Wednesday in six municipal corporations, 30 municipalities and 24 grama panchayats, covering 68 offices across the state, and lasted till late night.
In a statement on Thursday, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) said preliminary findings indicate that around Rs 45 lakh was allegedly received illegally by officials from private consultancy firms, engineers, architects, contractors and agents engaged in preparing and submitting building plans for approvals.
VACB said it found several instances of online financial transactions between contractors, consultants and officials, raising suspicion of illegal gratification in connection with the processing of building-related applications.
VACB said Rs 21.5 lakh was found credited to the bank account of the secretary of Kunnamkulam Municipality through intermediaries over the past year, while officials were unable to explain the transactions satisfactorily.
At the Fort Kochi zonal office of the Kochi Corporation, two assistant engineers, an overseer and a building inspector allegedly received a total of Rs 12.69 lakh from contractors through online transactions, the statement said.
The VACB also detected online transactions involving officials in Neyyattinkara and Varkala municipalities, Ambalavayal grama panchayat and several other local bodies.
The statement said that Rs 45,000 unaccounted cash was recovered from the private vehicle of a surveyor attached to Nedumangad Municipality.
VACB said the inspection also revealed serious procedural violations in granting building permits, occupancy certificates, building numbers and tax assessments.
It alleged that illegal constructions were being regularised without following statutory procedures and that in several cases officials had issued occupancy certificates and building numbers after accepting bribes.
According to the VACB, officials were also found to have facilitated tax evasion by assigning residential building numbers to structures being used for commercial purposes and had failed to initiate statutory action against several unauthorised constructions.
The inspection further uncovered alleged irregularities in local bodies across the state, including unauthorised constructions, violations of Coastal Regulation Zone norms, failure to act against illegal buildings, and suspicious financial transactions involving officials in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kasaragod districts, the statement said.
VACB said detailed follow-up investigations would be conducted into all the irregularities detected during the inspection and stringent legal action would be initiated wherever required.
