ACB officials questioning the Guntur Municipal Corporation officials during the probe.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into the alleged irregularities in tendering and bill payments in the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has identified an estimated loss of ₹1.18 crore. However, the figure is not being treated as the total loss, as investigators are required to trace the missing records and complete a detailed scrutiny of more than 150 works.
The ACB conducted searches on the GMC premises on Monday and Tuesday, examining records relating to works undertaken between 2017-18 and 2024-25 fiscal year.
The allegations include manipulation of tender percentages (TP), tender approvals, work orders, letters of acceptance (LOAs) and bills, besides missing documents relating to several works.
More than 25 officials figure as e-Procurement Controlling Officers in the list of works under scrutiny. D. Srinivasa Rao, EE, figures in 33 works, followed by P. Niharika, JTO (28), M. Pavan Kumar, WI (24), A. Lakshmaiah, EE (24) and B.V. Arun Kumar, Draughtsman (23).
Others named in 10 or more works are K. Santhi Raju, EE (20), K. Ramu, AE (17), P. Venkateswara Rao, AE (16), G. Prasanna Jyothi, JTO (13), V. Venkateswara Rao, EE (13), and B. Bhavya Sai, JTO (13). The periods in which their names occur vary.
The allegations centre on changes in tender percentages in the e-Procurement process and their subsequent use in tender acceptance, LOAs, work orders and bills.
Several bills were paid according to allegedly manipulated TPs, while others refer to works not executed, LOAs not issued, tenders recalled or works cancelled.
The list also records cases where discrepancies were detected and corrected. In one instance, a bill prepared at a manipulated 1.99% less rate was revised to the original 6.99% less rate and reportedly was not paid.
About 70 contractors are associated with the works under scrutiny. While some reportedly received their bills and cleared their dues, successive GMC Commissioners are said to have withheld certain tenders or bills.
Notices were reportedly served on some contractors, while action was taken against certain employees in the recent past.
The ₹1.18 crore identified so far should therefore be viewed as an interim finding, rather than the total loss. The immediate challenge before the ACB is to recover missing documents, reconcile original and altered tender records, establish the status of each work and quantify the total loss to the GMC.
Experts in the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department observe that it is further required to probe other Municipal Corporations such as Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram, Nellore, Kurnool, Anantapur and others, to ensure corruption-free tendering process.
Published – August 26, 2026 07:26 pm IST
