BJP MLA alleges financial malpractice in BMC’s Rs 263 crore street furniture project

Incidentally, the BMC had launched a ‘Mumbai Beautification Project’ after the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government took over with an aim to beautify the city by upgrading the existing civic infrastructure and earmarked a Rs 1,700 crore fund for the same.

In a letter to Municipal Commissioner and state-appointed administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal, BJP legislator from Mulund Mihir Kotecha questioned the decision to spend additional money on street furniture when there was a dedicated fund available for the beautification project.

“The beautification works are being carried out at the ward level and there is no requirement for the CPD to spend Rs 263 crore for buying street furniture. Also, where will so many furniture are going to be installed. The fact that BMC is buying furniture at the given prices is bizarre and smell of mega scam,” Kotecha said in his letter dated January 31.

“I also want to point out that these works are not in the purview of CPD since the main objective of CPD is to buy medical equipment and medicines for health department. The current tender is rigged with irregularities by the CPD, which hardly has a civil engineer,” Kotecha said in his letter.

The tender was floated in November 2022, and currently, three companies have submitted their bids and work samples to the civic body. These samples have been sent to the laboratory for testing, and after the results come out, the price bid will be opened.

Kotecha in his letter also alleged that the contractor who will be awarded the work has already been fixed.

When contacted, a senior official from the CPD stated that there is no case of rigging involved in this tender and work orders will be awarded only to the bidder whose items pass the laboratory tests. He also said that minimum bidding of the cost will also be considered when awarding the work.

“Since this will be implemented across all the 24 wards, the tenders have been floated centrally instead of floating individual tenders at the ward level,” said an official.