A nearly 1.5-acre bungalow meant for Class I and gazetted officers was allotted by the Kanpur Municipal Corporation to one of its peons in 2023, and the property has remained in his possession for at least three years.
The allotment has now come under the scanner of a police inquiry into alleged corruption in the civic body, with investigators examining who approved it, why it was made and why an earlier inquiry into the matter did not lead to any action.
The bungalow is part of the corporation’s property at the hospital complex, which also houses its zonal office. Rawat could not be contacted for his response. Rawat is the founder and state president of the municipal vehicle drivers’ union. The allotment had been questioned in a complaint filed around three years ago. Following the complaint, the then special secretary directed then additional municipal commissioner Pratipal Singh to conduct an inquiry. However, the committee’s inquiry did not result in any action. People familiar with the matter alleged that the issue was effectively buried and left pending. The circumstances surrounding that inquiry are now also expected to come under scrutiny as the police investigate alleged corruption in the municipal corporation. The allotment also continued during the tenure of a mayor and three different municipal commissioners.
1, located on the premises of Jagdishwar Hospital in Govind Nagar, was allotted to municipal peon Vinod Rawat in 2023.
Kanpur commissioner of police Raghubir Lal said bungalow No. The accommodation was intended for Class I and gazetted officers, according to civic officials. A three-member committee was subsequently constituted to examine the allotment, officials aware of the matter said. Investigators are examining how a property that had been allotted to a senior medical officer was subsequently allotted to a peon, police said. The police are examining how the allotment remained in place under successive senior officials and whether they were aware of it, officials said. Investigators are also looking into whether Rawat’s position as a union leader had any bearing on the allotment, according to police officials.
The earlier complaint and the inquiry that followed are likely to be crucial in establishing who authorised the allotment and why no action was taken despite the issue being raised at the time.
The bungalow occupies a prominent part of the Jagdishwar Hospital premises, where the corporation’s zonal office is also located.
It had earlier been allotted to Dr RK Singh, who served as the municipal health officer and later became a chief medical officer.
