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AHMEDABAD: A PIL filed in Gujarat high court on Thursday accused officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) of corruption and demanded action against them for paying Rs 200 for a 200ml water bottle and Rs 370 for a bottle of lemon soda.

Petitioner Jignesh Panseriya has highlighted that SMC officials have often made wasteful expenditure in various cultural and sports events. He supplied bills after obtaining them under the provisions of the RTI laws. The petition stated, “SMC has indulged in unacceptable extravagant, impossible and wasteful expenditure of public money in the name of different programs/events which is not the part of the obligatory and discretionary functions of the corporation.”

The bills he has placed before the HC showed that SMC has paid Rs 370 for a small bottle of lemon soda. The petitioner has demanded formation of a committee to investigate the alleged corrupt practices and take action against the officials who are found involved in corruption as well as against those who did not act on complaints made earlier this this regard.

Petitioner’s advocate K R Koshti submitted before the HC that the PIL was required to be filed after the municipal authorities did not act on the complaints as well as on two notices served on SMC in June and August. The HC was approached only after the concerned authorities refused to act against officials who approved Rs 200 for a bottle available normally at Rs 6.

The petitioner has contended that the civic body is duty bound to supply certain facilities in public or community functions and gatherings, but it cannot incur expenditure in providing certain facilities to participants that is prohibited by law. He has sought direction to SMC not to sign any contract or to entrust any work or services to anybody except in strict adherence of Section 73 of the Gujarat Municipal Corporation Act.

