Kottayam: Allegations have emerged of a massive financial scam amounting to Rs 211 crore within the Kottayam Municipality. The opposition has claimed that the Municipal Directorate Vigilance Department uncovered the misappropriation during an investigation. The funds in question belong to the Kottayam Municipality’s own fund.

According to the opposition, the Municipal Directorate Vigilance found that money was siphoned off from seven bank accounts held by the municipality. While cheques for Rs 211 crore were reportedly issued, the full amount was never received in the bank accounts. The issue was raised by Opposition Leader Sheeja Anil (LDF) in a recent meeting.

In response to the allegations, Kottayam Municipal Chairperson Bincy Sebastian (UDF) stated that no official communication had been received from the concerned authorities. "A letter has been sent to the Municipal Secretary regarding the matter, and based on that, an inquiry was conducted at the audit section, but nothing significant was found. Therefore, an emergency meeting will be convened to clarify the truth to the public," she explained.

This is not the first time Kottayam Municipality has been embroiled in financial controversies. Previously, a pension scam involving Rs 2.5 crore came to light, which occurred about seven months ago. The investigation into this earlier scam is still ongoing, and now, the new financial irregularities have sparked fresh controversy within the municipality.

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