The Madhya Pradesh government has dismissed seven officials and initiated disciplinary action against hundreds of others over alleged irregularities in municipal procurement and the misuse of public funds. The action came amid controversy over videos showing officials discussing discrepancies in government purchases, according to a report by Hindustan Times published on October 26, 2026.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Sanjay Dubey, said the government had taken action against 392 officials. Seven were dismissed, while increments of 135 officials were stopped and show-cause notices were issued in other cases. He stressed that the disciplinary proceedings had begun before the videos went viral on Friday.
₹3–4 crore recovered
According to Dubey, the videos were recorded during a training session held in April to sensitise officials about their responsibilities and the department’s monitoring mechanisms. He said the purpose was to highlight irregular payments, excessive spending and the misuse of public money, rather than encourage wrongdoing.
The government has reportedly recovered around ₹3–4 crore in connection with the cases. Action has also been taken against more than 80 contractors and suppliers.
Dubey said the nature of the disciplinary action varied depending on the case, including recovery of funds, withholding of salary increments, demotion and dismissal. He added that the investigation and related proceedings were continuing.
Videos reveal major price discrepancies
The controversy intensified after videos from the training session circulated online, highlighting significant differences in the prices paid by different municipal bodies for similar products.
In one example, Dubey questioned why a 60-watt LED light was purchased for ₹306 in one location, while the same item reportedly cost ₹11,800 in Bhopal. The total value of the procurement in Bhopal was reported to be ₹3.78 lakh.
Another example concerned a phenolic disinfectant, whose price was recorded at ₹5 per litre in one instance and ₹33,500 for a similar product elsewhere, according to Dubey’s remarks in the videos.
He also raised questions about municipal vehicles purchased at substantially different prices. Some local bodies reportedly spent as much as ₹1.5 crore on waste-collection vehicles despite having insufficient wards to justify the expenditure.
Dubey suspected that inflated costs could have resulted from additional items being included in purchases and contracts being awarded to favoured parties.
Congress targets BJP government
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari criticised the alleged irregularities and said his party would take the issue to citizens across the state.
Patwari cited examples of a bulb and a bucket allegedly purchased for ₹36,000 and ₹2 lakh, respectively, as he questioned the functioning of the BJP-led state government.
The allegations have intensified scrutiny of municipal procurement practices and the monitoring of public expenditure.
With disciplinary action already underway and further proceedings continuing, the key questions now concern accountability, the recovery of public money and whether additional officials or contractors will face action.
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