The audit department of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has noted that various civic departments have failed to produce records for expenditures totalling Rs 6,257 crore. While officials categorise the issue as a documentation backlog, civic activists have called the missing trail a financial scam and demanded a probe.

Speaking to The Indian Express Tuesday, PCMC Chief Auditor Pramod Bhosale clarified that the figure represents a cumulative lack of documentation rather than any proven financial scam.

“Our audit work up to 2018 is complete, and we are currently auditing the 2018–2021 period. However, various departments have not submitted records for expenditures worth Rs 6,257 crore,” Bhosale said. He emphasised that the objections are not new, with some dating back as far as 1982.

“If records are not made available, it does not inherently mean there was a scam. We can only perform the audit once the administration ensures these documents are handed over.”

Meanwhile, in a stern letter addressed to Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi and Mayor Ravi Landge, civic activist Maruti Bhapkar demanded an investigation into the “irregularities”.

“Action must be taken against the responsible officials within eight days. If the administration remains silent, we will approach the Bombay High Court,” Bhapkar warned.

Bhapkar said he filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding audit objections in 1999-2000 and that the High Court had previously ordered a special audit of 18 years of civic records. “Despite the court seeking an action-taken report (ATR), the PCMC administration has done nothing for years,” he alleged.

Bhapkar said the civic audit focuses on identifying expenditures made without permission, incomplete documentation, gaps in the tender process, and payments to contractors and others that violate regulations.

“If the audit department identifies such issues, the civic departments must provide valid explanations within a specified deadline. In some cases, the amounts that have been paid without authorisation must be recovered,” he said.

Bhosale said that, over time, civic departments have reported that the documents required by the audit department are unavailable. He said the audit department has repeatedly requested these documents from the civic departments. “It is the administration’s responsibility to instruct the relevant departments to provide the documents we require,” he added.