21,310 cups of tea, 13,390 meals: Rs 46 lakh spent at a Rajkot demolition drive

A mega demolition drive carried out by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) in Gujarat's Jangleshwar area has triggered a political controversy after details of the expenditure incurred on food, refreshments and other arrangements for officials and police personnel came to light.

While a proposal seeking approval for Rs 27.20 lakh spent on tea, snacks and meals has already been put on hold by the Standing Committee, additional pending bills for mineral water and mandap services have pushed the total expenditure linked to the operation to around Rs 46.31 lakh.

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation conducted what it described as its biggest and most extensive demolition drive in the Jangleshwar area on February 23 and 24. The operation, which continued for three days in the highly sensitive locality, targeted encroachments along the Aji River and the 15-metre-wide TP Road. Around 1,400 illegal structures were demolished during the drive.

Although the demolition operation drew praise from civic officials, it has now become the centre of a controversy after a proposal seeking approval for Rs 27,20,946 spent on tea, snacks and meals for municipal officials and police personnel was placed before the Standing Committee.

The committee refused to clear the proposal immediately and sought a written explanation from civic officials over the unusually high expenditure incurred during the demolition operation. Members of the ruling party questioned how such a large amount could have been spent on refreshments and meals during a demolition drive and asked officials to justify the expenditure.

According to details submitted by the Municipal Corporation, tea, coffee, snacks and meals were arranged for municipal employees, police personnel and workers deployed during the operation.

The expenditure included 21,310 cups of tea with biscuits, 50 plates of ganthiya-jalebi, poha and 360 breakfast and lunch plates served on different days, amounting to Rs 630,946.

In addition, between February 21 and February 27, the civic body provided 13,390 special lunch packets along with masala buttermilk and 4,000 bottles of lemon-ginger sherbet, costing Rs 20,68,500. Together, these expenses totalled Rs 27,20,946.

Officials told the Standing Committee that more than 4,800 municipal officials, police personnel and employees from various government departments participated in the demolition operation. They said food and refreshments were arranged for everyone present at the site, including workers and labourers, to ensure that the operation continued without interruption and personnel did not have to leave the site during duty hours.

Officials also stated that because the demolition had to be carried out within a limited time, the Municipal Corporation could not follow the normal tendering or price quotation process and no formal contract was awarded for the catering arrangements.

The controversy intensified after it emerged that the Rs 27.20 lakh proposal did not include the expenditure on mineral water and mandap services.

According to the available details, the Municipal Corporation separately spent Rs 12,40,028 on mineral water and another Rs 6,70,678 on mandap services during the demolition operation. When these pending bills are added to the food and refreshments bill, the total expenditure related to the Jangleshwar demolition reaches approximately Rs 46,31,652.

The mineral water expenditure has also raised questions. The Municipal Corporation spent Rs 12.40 lakh on bottled drinking water during the demolition drive. Since a 200 ml bottle of mineral water generally costs around Rs 5, questions have been raised over whether nearly 240,000 bottles were procured for the operation.

The opposition Congress accused the Municipal Corporation of corruption and criticised the expenditure. Opposition leaders said it was deeply unfortunate that while poor families were watching their homes being demolished, officials were allegedly enjoying elaborate food arrangements at public expense. They alleged that the unusually high expenditure indicated corruption and demanded strict action against officials responsible for approving the bills.

The Congress further alleged that although the issue may fade from public attention after some time, the bills would eventually receive approval. The party has demanded a thorough inquiry and strict action against those found responsible for the expenditure.

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With inputs from Raunak Majithia.