BHOPAL: Artificial intelligence (AI)-based analysis of the purchases made by urban local bodies (ULBs) in Madhya Pradesh has led to detection of anomalies worth crores of rupees.
As many as 392 officials and staff of ULBs, including 135 chief municipal officials, have been identified for irregularities and accountability fixed, additional chief secretary (urban development and housing) Sanjay Dubey said on Sunday. “While recovery proceedings have been initiated against many officials, salary increments of some others have been withheld. Some erring officials have been demoted and some others have been dismissed,” he said.
Dubey has been making headlines ever since a recent video, which showed him telling ULB officials about anomalies in purchases being known to the department, went viral. The video, which pertained to a training programme of ULB officials held in Bhopal in April 2026, created a flutter, prompting the Congress to attack the BJP government in the state.
“When the training program was held, action had been initiated against 146 officials, including the dismissal of seven. Recovery of around `4 crore had been done from the staff and officials involved in the anomalies. Action was initiated against over 80 contractors and suppliers. The process of identifying the wrong doers and acting against them is continuously going on, due to which till date action has been initiated against 392 officials and employees,” Dubey further said.
The action is based on the findings of AI-based audit of data generated by two key portals—MP e-Nagar Palika and the Government e Marketplace (GeM). The analysis helped the urban development and housing department identify and establish anomalies.
In the dock
As many as 392 officials and staff of ULBs have been identified for irregularities
Recovery proceedings have been initiated against many officials and salary increments of some others have been withheld
The action is based on the findings of AI-based audit of data from two portals
