Mumbai: BMC approves ₹34.61 cr bill of civic hospital staff, Assistant Commissioner's accommodation during pandemic

BMC commissioner has approved Rs 34.61 crore expenditure made by the doctors of BMC hospitals, Assistant Commissioners and their staff for accommodation during the COVID-19 lockdown.

This proposal was referred back by the standing committee when it was brought for approval. Due to the lockdown in 2020, BMC staff and doctors couldn't have gone to their homes. hence, they stayed at nearby hotels and lodges.

On March 13, 2020, State Government imposed the Epidemic Act 1897 in the state and empowered the BMC Commissioner to take every possible measure to restrict COVID-19 in Mumbai.

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All Doctors of important BMC hospitals, special hospitals, Assistant Commissioners, and their staff had come into contact of COVID-19 patients and their were chances of infections.

At the same time, State government declared a lockdown in the city. Therefore, doctors, staff, and BMC officers couldn't travel to their respective homes. Deans of the hospitals, Assistant Commissioners had requested the BMC Commissioner to make accommodation arrangements in their respective wards.

The BMC commissioner had then accepted the request. BMC commissioner then issued a circular and directed Deans and AssistantCommissioners to give accommodation to their staff as per their cadres and make sure two employees should stay in one room.

Commissioner had also stated that assistant commissioners and deans will check bills of their staff and certify for payment. BMC had fixed rates for five-star hotels at Rs 2,000 per day, four-star hotels Rs 1,500, three-star hotels Rs 1,000 per day and non-star hotels at Rs 500 per day.

Prabhakar Shinde, BJP corporator and former Group leader of BJP in BMC, said, "When this proposal had come before Standing Committee at that time, I had asked the administration about days of accommodation, rate of hotels, number of employees and doctors. BMC had given tax concession for hotels. Had BMC taken any concessions for hotels? Therefore, the proposal was referred back to the Administration. Now, the Administration has all the powers so no one is there to ask them," Shinde added.