Raipur: Eleven Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Chhattisgarh suffered financial losses of nearly ₹9.99 crore (approximately ₹10 crore) due to the alleged negligence of officials and staff, according to the State Audit Annual Report 2024–25. The report highlights serious lapses in revenue collection, financial irregularities and non-compliance with statutory provisions.
According to the audit report, several ULBs failed to recover door-to-door garbage collection user charges, mobile tower renewal fees, and revenue from advertisement hoardings. As a result, the civic bodies incurred substantial financial losses and became increasingly dependent on state government grants instead of generating their own revenue.
The report noted that the revenue shortfall has affected the financial health of several municipalities, making it difficult for them to meet routine operational expenses, undertake development works and pay staff salaries.
The audit identified the Raipur Municipal Corporation as recording the highest revenue loss. During the 2015–16 and 2016–17 financial years, municipal authorities failed to recover ₹7.52 crore in door-to-door garbage collection user charges. In addition, ₹1.69 crore in rent from hoardings, advertisement boards and commercial rooftop billboards installed on private buildings also remained unrecovered.
The State Audit Department examined the accounts of 27 urban local bodies, including one Municipal Corporation, 12 Municipalities and 14 Nagar Panchayats. The audit uncovered 800 serious irregularities across records covering multiple financial years.
According to the report, officials responded to only two of the 800 audit objections, while 798 objections remain pending. Most of the urban local bodies failed to submit replies even after the stipulated deadlines had expired.
The audit report warned that unless revenue collection, fee recovery and financial management improve, the financial condition of local bodies could deteriorate further. It recommended strengthening revenue recovery mechanisms, ensuring strict compliance with statutory provisions and expediting the disposal of pending audit objections.
Following the State Audit Department’s findings, attention is now expected to focus on the financial accountability of the concerned urban local bodies, the lapses in revenue collection and the responsibility of the officials involved.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
