Aaditya Thackeray, a former Maharashtra Minister, wrote a letter to Iqbal Singh Chahal, the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, raising concerns about irregularities in financial transactions and processes within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Thackeray has brought up concerns about the street furniture scam in Mumbai, which allegedly favours a contractor friend of the BMC and government officials.
According to the former Minister, the BMC has awarded a tender worth Rs 263 crore for street furniture to a specific contractor. However, several important questions related to the tender have been left unanswered.
Thackeray's letter to the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai seeks clarification on the tender process followed by the BMC, along with a detailed breakdown of the market costs of the items needed by the contractor. He has also questioned the need for the contractor to purchase all 13 items requested by the BMC and the specific items and quantities being procured.
In addition, Thackeray has requested access to the report of the three-member fact-finding committee formed after the allegations were made by VITI's quality testing report of all bidders, remarks of the roads and traffic department of the BMC, and remarks of the urban planners/consultants on the requirements of the same, and whether the urban planners were picked through an Expression of Interest (EOI) or arbitrarily.
According to Thackeray, the BMC's tender process appears to be biased in favour of a specific contractor who is reportedly a friend of the organization. He has demanded that all bidders demonstrate each item and undergo quality testing again. This letter is part of a growing concern regarding corruption and misconduct in the BMC.