Maharashtra: Shinde govt gives nod to SIT probe into ‘irregularities’ worth Rs 12,000 crore in BMC

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday granted approval for setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged “irregularities” worth Rs 12,024 crore in various works of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Monday night stated that the SIT will be headed by the Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, PTI reported.

Shinde has also given directives to include top officials of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police and other senior police officials in the probe, said the release. The CMO’s statement said Eknath Shinde has given the approval to set up the SIT that will probe Rs 12,024-crore irregularities in various works previously undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in power (November 2019 to June 2022) in the state.During that period, Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. BJP MLA from Mumbai, Ameet Satam, had written a letter to Shinde claiming irregularities in various Covid-19-related works after the CAG submitted its audit report. In his letter, he demanded an SIT probe into the irregularities, PTI reported.