Probe Rs 1,844 crore BMC quarters ‘scam’: Maharashtra governor to Lokayukta – Times of India

MUMBAI: Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked Maharashtra Lokayukta Justice V M Kanade to conduct a probe into the alleged irregularities in the BMC’s Ashray Yojana, the scheme to redevelop the staff quarters of its conservancy workers. The BJP had filed a complaint with Koshyari last month alleging a Rs 1,844 crore scam in the entire project.
“In this regard, I am directed to inform you that the complaint has been forwarded to the Lokayukta for appropriate action,” stated a reply to BJP corporator Vinod Mishra from Santosh Kumar, principal secretary to Koshyari.
A delegation comprising BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha and corporators Mishra and Prabhakar Shinde, among others, met Koshyari last month. The BJP has levelled serious allegations on the entire process of appointment of contractors for the redevelopment of solid waste management (SWM) department’s staff quarters that will cost the civic body around Rs 1,800 crore.
“In many tenders, the BMC got a single bid but still awarded the contract. As per the CVC (central vigilance commission) guidelines, the BMC should have reinvited the tenders. The BMC’s own estimate for all three proposals is Rs 678 crore but contractors have quoted to do the work at Rs 1,000 crore above estimate. This is a clear case of corruption,” Mishra said.
According to the plan, the BMC will build 12,698 tenements of 300 sq ft and 600 sq ft at 34 locations in Mumbai. Officials said the BMC had planned to build 14,110 units but now the scheme has been trimmed to 12,698 homes. Contracts for constructing new homes at several locations have already been cleared by the BMC.
“We have filed complaints with the BMC but no action has been taken, so we requested the governor to look into it. A fair and impartial probe will reveal the gross irregularities and cost escalation in this project. The contracts must be scrapped and a fair tender process must be executed,” Mishra said.
The ambitious scheme was floated before the 2012 BMC elections, and has been a poll promise for the 2017 polls and now once again for the 2022 polls.