Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation’s ‘Mission 4 Million Trees’ project has come under the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) scanner after the campaign’s cost more than doubled from the approved ₹64 crore to ₹131 crore.

The ACB has reportedly written to the principal director of AMC’s garden department, seeking original files and all documents related to the tenders issued under the project. The probe will examine how expenditure escalated well beyond the sanctioned amount and whether procedural lapses or corruption were involved.

Under the initiative, AMC had planned to plant 40 lakh trees across the city in 2025. Tenders were issued for the plantation and maintenance of about 20 lakh trees, with contracts awarded to three contractors at an estimated cost of ₹64 crore.

However, the contractors ultimately planted around 29 lakh trees i.e., nine lakh more than the approved target, pushing projected expenditure to ₹131 crore, an additional burden of ₹67 crore.

Concerns were raised after it emerged that the excess plantation was carried out without prior approval from the municipal commissioner or the standing committee. A proposal seeking clearance for the revised payment was later submitted but was rejected by the municipal commissioner, who instead constituted a committee to examine the matter.

The ACB has now stepped in to review the entire process, including the tendering procedure and the role of officials in the garden department. DeshGujarat