Mumbai, July 31, 2026: The BMC administration came under sharp fire at the Standing Committee meeting over allegations that civic departments have been systematically splitting large public works into smaller contracts to circumvent mandatory tendering procedures.
Warning of a crackdown on the alleged practice, Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said all such proposals would be referred to the Vigilance Department for investigation if officials failed to disclose the complete scope of works and continued to bypass consolidated tenders.
Corporators Raise Concerns
During the Standing Committee meeting, a proposal from the Environment and Climate Change Department seeking approval for Rs 47 lakh towards appointing agencies to facilitate Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities was tabled for discussion.
BJP corporator Preeti Satam alleged that the administration was adopting a practice of splitting large proposals into smaller parts to avoid detailed scrutiny.
She demanded that the administration submit a detailed report on the total expenditure incurred through such piecemeal proposals instead of placing individual smaller proposals before the committee.
Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Ramakant Rahate questioned why proposals already approved by ward committees were being brought before the Standing Committee again.
Responding to the issue, Leader of the House and BJP corporator Ganesh Khankar said officials were relying on rules framed before the formation of ward committees to justify the practice.
"If officials believe they can outsmart the system by using old provisions, they should remember that the Standing Committee also has equally alert members," he remarked.
Chairman Warns Of Vigilance Probe
Raising serious concerns over alleged violations of procurement norms, Shinde claimed that civic departments were splitting large projects worth Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore into smaller contracts of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 75 lakh to bypass consolidated tendering. He alleged that similar practices had led to the approval of proposals worth Rs 5,484 crore in the past, despite protests.
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Shinde further accused departments of withholding complete project details from senior officials, resulting in fragmented proposals being placed before the committee.
Alleging that several works were completed before approval, he warned that such cases would now be referred to the Vigilance Department for inquiry and cautioned officials that the practice of bringing piecemeal proposals would no longer be accepted.
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