Congress-NCP seek probe into alleged malpractices by BMC

A delegation of Congress-NCP leaders met Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and sought a judicial probe into the alleged malpractices by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The delegation led by Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil brought to the notice of the Governor, the remarks made by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Pravin Dixit that if corruption in the civic body could be rooted out, prices of flats in Mumbai would fall by at least Rs 500 per sq ft.

BMC, which is Asia's richest civic body, goes to polls in early 2017 and is being ruled by the Sena-BJP since the last two decades. Apart from Vikhe Patil, Mumbai Congress president Janardhan Chandurkar, legislators Bhai Jagtap and Amin Patel and NCP legislators Jeetendra Awhad, Vidya Chavan were part of the delegation.

Chandurkar said that if a responsible officer heading the ACB makes such a statement then it is a serious matter. "We demanded that the Governor directs the state government to institute a judicial probe or else the Governor intervenes in the matter," he said.

Chandurkar said Dixit has been quoted as saying that one crore sq ft construction takes place annually in Mumbai and bribe worth Rs 500 per sq ft is sought by the civic authorities. Similarly, another demand highlighted in the meeting was that the Governor should seek a report from Water Conservation Minister Girish Mahajan, who said that he was offered a bribe of Rs 100 crore by a contractor.

"Has the minister made a complaint to the ACB against the concerned contractor? If the minister has not lodged an FIR in the case, Governor should intervene and order an inquiry," he added.