Failure to present a water-tight case against three road contractors, who had allegedly bagged contracts worth around Rs 150 crore in three wards in the eastern suburbs at inflated rates, has left the municipal corporation shamefaced. A public redressal committee, headed by a former justice, has asked the BMC to allow the contractors to continue their road improvement work.
However, suspicious of the BMC’s laxity in presenting evidence against the contractors, Ramnagina Yadav, who is into the construction business, has written to the chief minister and the municipal chief to inquire into the “contractors’ cartel and BMC officials’ involvement in it”. Yadav’s wife Sunita Yadav is BJP corporator from Poisar village in Kandivli (E).
“The municipal administration had cancelled the contracts as the rates were very high and not workable, then why did it not stand by its decision? The administration seems to be helping the contractors; we smell corruption in the process,” claimed Ramnagina.
In July, BMC awarded road improvement work contract in three wards—L which covers Kurla and Chunabhatti, S which covers Vikhroli and Bhandup and T which covers Mulund and Nahur—to three contractors after issuing tenders. Later, the road department raised a red flag and demanded that the contracts be cancelled as they were awarded at higher rates. The officials claimed that the contractors had formed a cartel to bag the contracts and the civic administration cancelled the contracts. Two of the contractors, who had procured the required machines and material to start work, approached the committee to challenge the administration’s decision. The civic officials reportedly didn’t produce the detailed reason for cancelling the contracts and the committee’s decision went in favour of the contractors. The committee observed that they had followed all procedures and hence, can continue their work.
While the civic officials concerned in the matter were unavailable for comment, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta said he was unaware about the development and would look into it.