Twitter
Advertisement

Road scam: Report to reveal 10 more names

The BMC presented the first inquiry report in 2016, where 34 road projects, of a total of 228 which were worth Rs 352 crore — were marked for investigation

Latest News
article-main
The civic body presented the first inquiry report in 2016
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

A second inquiry report on the BMC road scam will be presented to the new Standing Committee, and later produced at the General Body Meeting towards the end of March. Sources confirmed that the report will name at least 10 more contractors and a few other civic officials and engineers who will meet the same fate as those named in the first report.

"The scam amount may be about Rs 1,000 crore as the cost of works undertaken was more than Rs 4,500 crore. The civic body had chalked out a master plan for city roads worth Rs 7,500 crore. But in the light of the scam, the bills submitted by contractors will not be paid until the final outcome of the report is presented. The contractors under investigation will not be allowed to bid for new civic contracts. Civic officials and engineers will have to face departmental inquiry before facing criminal proceedings," said a senior civic official on condition of anonymity.

The official added that the report is ready, with last-minute check still underway before the final submission. "Staffers were busy with election work, and hence the delay. We are being cautious as we do not want to present an error-ridden report," said an official.

The BMC presented the first inquiry report in 2016, where 34 road projects, of a total of 228 which were worth Rs 352 crore — were marked for investigation. The BMC held six contractors and former chief engineer (roads) Ashok Pawar and chief engineer (vigilance) U Murudkar responsible for the scam as they were the officials in charge. A probe was initiated against them.

A BMC investigation team unearthed the scam by tracking down the documents submitted by contractors, checked and tested the material used for the construction of roads, visited sites to verify the genuineness of the claims, and used Google maps to ascertain the facts. The investigation threw up a few alarming facts. The team was able to prove that the excavated material was transported on paper, but was not in reality.

The first report, which stated that the contractors' claims that roads were excavated to attain the base for the construction of a cement-concrete road, was not true.

The detection of irregularities reported was up to 53 per cent. There was a deviation in the amount of bills of all road works, with the underlying crust of the roads missing and most repairs not executed according to the quantum specified by the civic body.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement