Mumbai: Former corporators seek CM intervention in BMC functioning

Mumbai: Around 94 former corporators from the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have written to Chief Minister Mr Eknath Shinde seeking his intervention on the lack of transparency and financial mismanagement in the BMC under state-appointed administrator and civic chief Mr Iqbal Singh Chahal.

“Since Mar 2022, when the term of corporators ended, the municipal commissioner cum administrator has been in charge and there is a total lack of accountability and transparency. Contracts and proposals worth thousands of crores have been awarded, but not a single draft letter (DL) has been put on public domain,” the letter states.

The letter further alleges that officials are being put under pressure by higher authorities and cites the latest internal transfers of various employees as an example of the same. “Subjects that weren't part of the budget speech are now getting over Rs6,000 crore of allocated funds, like the new tenders for constructing concrete roads. Many departments have been deprived of funds and there is total policy paralysis in the BMC,” the letter reads.

According to Mr Ravi Raja, former Leader of Opposition in the BMC, no tenders were invited and contracts were awarded directly for the ongoing beautification works for the G-20 presidency meet.

Meanwhile, Mr Chahal denied the allegations while speaking to the media. “There is no lack of transparency and all the documents pertaining to the decisions taken by the administration are available on the BMC's official website,” he said.