Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has instructed departments to move revenue collection to online receipts and e-challans within 15 days, following reported concerns over financial controls and alleged irregularities in the civic body’s handling of public money.
The instruction applies to departments that still issue handwritten receipts. Under the reported directive, all municipal income must be recorded online and receipts must be provided to applicants through digital channels. If a department continues to issue manual receipts, responsibility for the transaction will rest with that department, according to the report by Nav Gujarat Samay.
The move comes amid allegations that financial rules are not being consistently followed across the civic administration. The report cites municipal sources as saying that large amounts are transacted daily through facilities including civic centres and other departments, creating risks where revenue collection and record-keeping remain dependent on manual processes.
The report also refers to an earlier objection raised in the municipal board by the legislator representing Ellisbridge, who had previously served as Ahmedabad’s mayor and corporator. He had argued that contract employees should not be assigned duties involving financial transactions and that such responsibilities should be given only to permanent municipal staff.
Despite that position, the report alleges that contract personnel continue to handle financial transactions at several locations. It also refers to an earlier case in which two or more employees in the former West Zone were allegedly involved in the misappropriation of lakhs of rupees. Separately, the report says an assistant-level employee from the estate department, posted with the fire brigade, was recently accused of misappropriating lakhs of rupees.
These allegations have not been presented in the supplied report with details of police action, departmental inquiries, recoveries or disciplinary outcomes. The report also says that some cases may have been suppressed, but provides no documentary details or named official confirmation for that claim.
The financial-control rules cited in the report extend beyond receipt collection. Municipal employees and officers are reportedly subject to specific procedures for handling financial matters. One such rule requires financial powers to be withdrawn from an employee or officer three months before retirement. The report alleges that, in some cases, officials continued signing files until their retirement.
Online receipts and e-challans are intended to create a traceable record of municipal revenue and reduce dependence on handwritten documentation. The reported 15-day deadline therefore places responsibility on individual departments to complete the transition and account for any continued use of manual receipts.
The immediate next step is for departments that still issue handwritten receipts to begin accepting revenue through e-challans and online systems within the stipulated 15-day period. The report does not specify whether the corporation has announced a public dashboard, audit schedule or department-wise compliance report for monitoring the change.
