MC Commissioner Manesar transferred amidst corruption allegations by contractor

Days after Municipal Commissioner Manesar, IAS Renu Sogan, penalised a local sweeping contractor, Shishpal Singh Rana of Akanksha Enterprises, for non-performance, he moved to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Haryana, accusing her of corruption. A day after the complaint, Sogan was unceremoniously transferred out in a late evening order.

The dispute between the officer and the contractor started when Sogan imposed a penalty of Rs 4.50 crore on Rana for failing to provide sufficient manpower and equipment to sweep Manesar streets. Sogan claimed that she received numerous complaints from residents, including the local mayor and MLA Bimla Chowdhary. “The sweeping was not up to the mark. He was not providing enough manpower, and after repeated warnings, he was fined,” said Sogan.

However, Rana moved a complaint to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday, accusing senior civic body officials, including the Municipal Commissioner, of deliberately withholding payments, imposing unfair penalties, and demanding bribes to process bills. Rana alleged that despite executing municipal services for four months, payments amounting to over Rs 8.5 crore were withheld. He claimed that administrative approval for two months was pending at the government level, while bills for the other two months were blocked due to “corrupt motives”.

Rana’s complaint stated, “Every stage of the project, I have been forced to pay bribes, and I have complete documentary evidence of these transactions. The officials have systematically exploited the system, threatening to ruin my business if I don’t bow to their illegal demands.”

Sogan, however, called the complaint motivated and an act of bullying by the contractor. She highlighted that Rana had been blacklisted in Jharkhand. “He is a non-performer and has a history of being blacklisted. He tried to pressurise me to let the things pass, which I didn’t, and thus the complaint. We will be recommending his blacklisting from our authority as well,” said Sogan.

A senior MC official named in the complaint alleged that Rana was politically backed and had long been arm-twisting authorities. The issue is now being looked into by Chief Minister Haryana Nayab Saini and has sparked a debate about the supremacy of politically backed contractors in the city.

Meanwhile, various Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) of Manesar have come in support of the commissioner, seeking an inquiry against the contractor.

Haryana Tribune