High-level inquiry to be conducted into money spent by BMC on desilting of Mithi river: Uday Samant

A high-level inquiry will be conducted into the money spent by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on the desilting of Mithi river which flows through the city, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant stated in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Hitting back, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said a probe should also be conducted into the ongoing crisis in Manipur. Notably, the BMC was being controlled by the undivided Shiv Sena headed by the Thackeray family during 1997 to 2022, the period for which the inquiry was announced. Prasad Lad of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised the issue in the Council, claiming that more than Rs 1,300 crore were spent on desilting between 2005 and 2022 and there should be a probe into the work done.

In his reply, Samant said, Who was the contractor, how much silt was removed, how much widening was done, what happened to Rs 1,160 crore, who were the officers at that time. Everything will be probed. A high-level inquiry will be conducted.
Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab said the probe should also cover financial year 2022-23. The BMC is under an administrator's control as civic elections have not been held for over a year. Speaking outside the legislature, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said a probe should also be conducted into the ongoing violence in Manipur.