MUMBAI, April 21: Opposition corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation allege that a conspiracy of silence has made private contractors award major works in the city to the richer for deceit.The allegations follow the Civic Standing Committee's approval on Saturday of a tender submitted by Unity Constructions of a Rs 15.24-crore subway outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The tender was passed by the committee, without debate or discussion, prompting allegations of bribery and corruption. Opposition corporators in the committee failed to raise objections when the tenders of two other companies which had quoted lower bids were rejected on technical grounds. SP corporator Ramesh Joshi says this is a precursor to the controversial Mayor-in-Council system soon to be introduced to the BMC. ``There is a trans-party alliance of interests in the Standing Committee. Such things can happen when money is the allurement. These members are practicing how to keep their mouths shut when theMayor-in-Council system commences,'' Joshi charged, pointing to the absence of 10 Opposition members of the Legislative Council when the Mayor-in-Council Bill was passed.Congress corporator K A Bastiwala, also a comittee member, said: ``Since it was the lowest quotation, we approved it. Also, the company is not black-listed. There is nothing hasty in it.'' Committee chairperson Ram Mhatre denied that the proposal had been roughed through. Unity Constructions, who was awarded the Rs 15.24-crore contract have hit the headlines before. Two years ago, the company was awarded a Rs 30-crore contract for a cancer hospital at Marol which was opposed by Gammon India.The latter, which had also bid for the contract, acquired a stay from the court. The subway project has been besieged with problems since its conceptualisation. At one time, it was abandoned as queries were raised about the work altering the structure of the old BMC building, which is on the heritage list. One end of the subway will have an outletnear the BMC headquarters and the other on D N Road.
