Mumbai: City's guardian minister Aslam Shaikh while speaking to ANI said that since taxpayer money is spent on facilities such as oxygen plants it is necessary to ensure that the quality of work isn't sub-standard
"As soon as I got to know that the contract for Oxygen Plant has been given to a company that is under investigation in other states, I wrote to BMC Commissioner, told him to probe the matter and take action against the culprits" he told ANI.
"I requested this as the money we spend on pandemic control and works like this is the money paid by people as taxes. So we must see that the quality of work isn't sub-standard. After inquiry, action must be taken against AMC, Engineer or whoever is responsible for lapse," he further said.
He had earlier written a letter to the BMC commissioner, pointing out financial irregularities relating to a contract awarded to a highway construction company (Messrs Highway) for building oxygen plants in the city.
According to his letter, the construction company was blacklisted by Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Medical College for poor work. Shaikh also said that new contracts should be given to the company only after the work undertaken to install 16 oxygen plants at civic hospitals is completed
The BMC had earlier denied allegations against them saying, "Messrs Highway Construction Company has named Messrs Unice India Pvt. Ltd. as the original manufacturer of the plant. It has been also alleged that Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur (Rajasthan) had blacklisted Messrs Unice India, despite knowing that the BMC administration had approved this company, and there is no fact in this allegation.”
The BMC in its statement last month also said that budgeting was done after proper research work and rates were compared on the e-market space of the Central government.
“The BMC administration conducted an open e-tender process… We received responses from three potential suppliers. Among them, Messrs. Highway Construction Company met all the criteria in the tender and became eligible.”
