Street furniture ‘scam’: BJP MLA says project scrapped after he pointed out irregularities

Through the street furniture project, the civic body was aiming to install 13 types of street furniture, including benches, pole-mounted dustbins, bollards, and tree guards, to beautify the roads of Mumbai.

The civic body had floated a Rs 263-crore tender for this work through its Central Purchase Department (CPD).

Speaking in the state legislative Assembly , Kotecha said, “Fadnavis had told me to carry out the fact finding about the scam and after doing it I briefed him. I proudly say today that Fadnavis discussed it with CM Shinde, and a decision to scrap the contract has been taken”.

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

He further claimed that he exposed a Rs 1,000 crore scam in the BMC during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government but that government did not act on any of the scams.

“The MVA did not take any action. Our government has taken action in the interest of the city,” he alleged.

A source said that the BMC has already issued stop work and stop payment orders to the contractor and formed a committee led by Joint Municipal Commissioner (Vigilance) Ajit Kumbhare to conduct the inquiry into the alleged street furniture scam.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray Wednesday wrote to Governor Ramesh Bais, and sought a probe by the Lokayukta in an alleged scam in the purchase of street furniture by the BMC.

Thackeray also asked Bais to direct the municipal commissioner to furnish all the reports related to the alleged scam.

“The government should conduct a fair probe through the Lokayukta,” the former minister said.

Further, the BMC should be asked to stop all payments to the contractor concerned and seek refund of payments made so far till the Lokayukta probe is over, Thackeray said through a letter.

Thackeray had met Bais on May 10 raising the alleged scam while claiming that the civic chief was “avoiding” giving him a reply.