Maharashtra Lokay-ukta Justice (retd) M.L. Tahaliyani will hold a hearing on Friday into allegations of corruption and irregularities in the procurement of penguins by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The hearing will be held after Leader of Opposition (LoP) Pravin Chheda from Congress on Thursday met the Lokayukta and asked him to probe the issue. The hearing will be attended by BMC and Byculla Zoo officials.
In a letter written to the Lokayukta, Mr Chheda alleged that there has been massive corruption and irregularities in the entire penguin procurement project, which include constructing penguin enclosures and providing them with life support system.
The BMC had procured eight Humboldt penguins from South Korea as a part of Byculla Zoo revamp project. However, one of the penguins died on October 23, raising question marks over their upkeep and maintenance.
Mr Chheda said, “Despite several complaints, the BMC administration has not ordered any probe. The remaining seven penguins are also in grave danger as essential life support system is not available.” The LoP alleged that the entire project is mired in controversy due to the negligence and connivance of BMC officials.
“The firm, which has been entrusted with the contract M/s Highway Construction company, has failed to complete a joint venture with US-based company Sivat Services. Without a technical partner like Sivat, it is not possible to complete the project since M/s Highway Construction has no expertise or experience in constructing penguin enclosures,” he said.
