Mayor alleges malpractices similar to de-silting scam being followed by civic body's roads department
Following the de-silting scam, another huge scam has been reported to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by city mayor Snehal Ambekar in the civic body's roads department.
According to the confidential letter written by Ambekar — Shiv Sena corporator — to BMC chief Ajoy Mehta only fraction of actual work is carried out on roads while money is siphoned off by "contractors and corrupt officers".
"This is to inform you that like the inquiry into the de-silting work, similar malpractices are being followed in the roads department. It is requested that you conduct an inquiry in all the works of the roads department and stern action must be taken against all errant contractors and corrupt officers," wrote Ambekar. A copy of the letter is with dna.
Following a probe into the de-silting scam, Mehta had recently suspended 14 civic officials and filed FIRs against nine firms including three BMC contractors for cheating the civic body. The contractors were also blacklisted.
While the de-silting contracts were worth around Rs 150 crore, the BMC allots road works of around Rs 2,000 crore every year. The demand for a probe into the June 19 floods was made by city BJP chief Ashish Shelar.
Ambekar even listed out the modus operandi used by contractors to cheat the BMC. "The quantity of earth which is being transported to private dumping plots in the roads department is 10 times more than the de-silting work. Contractors are paid huge sums of money for transporting the silt. Contractors only transport only 20% of the earth and 80% of the money goes into the pockets of contractors and corrupt officers. This has caused financial loss to the BMC," the letter points out.
The allegations, coming from the mayor, have sent shockwaves in the BMC. While Shiv Sena heads the BMC's standing committee, which allots all civic contracts, Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray had taken several rounds all over the city last year to take stock of road works.
The roads department is headed by additional municipal commissioner SVR Srinivas and chief engineer Ashok Pawar.
Officials said that Mehta has ordered a discreet probe into the allegations made by Ambekar. dna had reported that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, had asked Mehta to clean up the civic body's rotten tendering system in the roads department.
"This has come as a real shocker. The mayor is the head of the BMC and belongs to the ruling party. This kind of allegation from her is very serious. After the storm water drains department, the roads department is now under the scanner," said a senior civic official. Both Mehta and Ambekar were not available for comment.
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