Administrative approvals for similar works raise suspicion

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Suspicion has surfaced over administrative approvals worth about Rs 1.5 crore for works at the district treasury office, as several projects appear to be duplicated. Four works included in projects worth nearly Rs 1 crore approved in November also feature in the Rs 5 crore approvals granted in December 2025.

Sources said the public works department is rushing to issue work orders after obtaining approvals twice for the same works one issued in Marathi and the other in English. The development comes close on the heels of a bogus QR code-based administrative approval and work order scam that surfaced last month, where works were allegedly sanctioned through fake documents. An inquiry is underway. Separately, irregularities in works worth Rs 75 crore across the city are also under investigation. Amid this backdrop, works worth nearly Rs 40 lakh under the Rs 1.5 crore approvals appear to be repeated, raising questions over whether the proposals were properly scrutinised before clearance.

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Works repeated in both approvals

In the approval dated December 8, 2025, the works include construction of a drain around the Accounts and Treasury building, a protective wall, staircase repairs, replacement of doors and frames, and tiling in the passage. In the approval dated December 15, 2025, the list includes a rear protective wall, side protective walls, construction of a drain around the building, replacement of windows, and tiling in the passage.