Contractors dupe BMC of Rs 38 crore in desilting scam

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s report into the desilting scam has stated that contractors have duped the civic body to the tune of Rs 38.13 crore. Taking serious note of lapses and manipulation in this matter, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta has directed the civic administration to start the process of blacklisting all the responsible contractors immediately. The departmental inquiry of indicted civic officials should also be completed within three months, he has said.

According to the BMC inquiry report, about 70 per cent of the entries made by contractors, while transporting silt to the dumpsites outside the city, have been bogus. The contractors of VTS, weighing and desilting works prepared fake documents in connivance with each other and swindled the BMC financially while officials from the storm water department turned a blind eye towards the whole process.

“A criminal case should be filed against the contractors responsible for hoodwinking the civic body. In addition to this, responsibility should be fixed on every official and employee, who were found ignoring their malpractices and disciplinary action should be taken against them,” stated the report.

Based on factors like gross irregularities in the entries made by contractors and additional weight of silt transported, the report has accessed that this scam has resulted in the BMC losing about Rs 38,13,69,708 of its money. In his remarks, the civic chief has termed these lapses as ‘very serious’ in nature coupled with extremely high levels of manipulation. “Apart from blacklisting the contractors, FIRs should also be filed against them in view of criminality involved in this matter,” Mr Mehta said.

The report has also thrown light on how the contractors have submitted fake no-objection certificates from villages for dumping silt in their boundaries. The NoC given by Jasai grampanchayat in Raigad district and signatures on it have also been found forged. Letters sent to six villages through post during the probe have returned back. Also, during the probe, the contractors did not even provide details of vehicle tracking system (VTS) installed on their vehicles, which were used to carry the silt.

“A departmental inquiry will also be held to check the validity of NoCs issued by private land owners allowing their plots for dumping the silt,” said a senior civic official.

The city had witnessed flooding with majority of areas going under water during the heavy rains on June 18-19. Due to this, the BMC had instituted an inquiry into the desilting works of city nullahs, which were done before monsoon. The report had blamed errant contractors for carrying out shoddy desilting works. The civic chief then directed additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh to carry out a detailed probe. For this, all documents related to desilting works were seized.

Congress corporator Mohsin Haider, who had first alleged about contractors submitting fake documents of silt dumping, said his stand is vindicated by the report. “We had ourselves gone to villages mentioned by contractors in their lists and found that there was no dumping of silt. We also submitted letters written by these village officials asking the civic chief to take action against the contractors,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded that the civic body should collect the losses from accused officials and contractors. “The truth has finally come out. We demand action against the culprits,” said city BJP chief Ashish Shelar.

The BMC has already suspended 14 civic officials for failing to inspect the desilting works. The civic body has also filed an FIR against seven contractors for carrying out shoddy desilting works.