Medicines purchase during covid under Section 67(3)C
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The municipal corporation is in hot water after it was revealed that the civic body had made an unauthorized purchase of Rs 91 lakh worth of Covid-19 medicines. The purchase was made in 2020-21, when the city was in the grip of the pandemic.
The medicines were procured by the Meltron Hospital in Chikalthana, which is run by the municipal corporation. The hospital treated around 8,345 patients during the pandemic, and the medicines were used to treat these patients.
However, it has now come to light that the purchase was made without following the proper legal procedure. The purchase was made under Section '67(3)C' of the Municipal Corporation Act, but the required authorization from the competent authorities was not obtained. Only municipal administrator have the authority to carry out such purchases, and no such authorization was granted in this case. The matter has raised concerns over the handling of the medicine procurement by the municipal corporation. Additional commissioner Ranjeet Patil has taken up the investigation, and the responsible parties will be identified. necessary actions will be taken based on the findings.
Medicines purchased by junior officials
The use of junior officers authority for the medicine purchase has come into question. The improper use of Section '67(3)C' for the medicine purchase has raised concerns, leading to administrator G Sreekant giving clarification during a press conference on Friday.