Mumbai: 55 BMC workers fired, 53 suspended since 2017 over corruption

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fired 55 workers and suspended 53 others for corruption in the last five years. It also suspended 81 employees who were previously charged with crimes.

The civic body issued a statement that said, "Since 2017, 55 employees have been removed from service after the judicial process. These employees lost their jobs and benefits such as pensions and gratuities. More importantly, these people will be barred from even applying for jobs in any government or semi-government organisation. Administratively, the most severe punishment is dismissal. It happens when the court finds an employee guilty of any offence. Fifty-three employees have been suspended from service in bribery cases. Also, 81 employees charged with other criminal cases were suspended."

Since 2017, 200 BMC employees have been charged in 142 corruption cases filed with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The municipal administration has given pre-prosecution approval to file a case in 105 of these cases. The ACB is still investigating thirty of the remaining 37 cases. As a result, approval from the municipal administration has not yet been sought. The BMC has given its report in four of the remaining seven cases, while the procedure is underway in the other three. The approval of the concerned authority is required to take action against a government or semi-government employee as per the anti-corruption law.

"Since 2018, the ACB has sought sanctions to investigate 395 cases involving BMC employees. Of these, 359 complaints were found baseless via departmental inquiry. In 18 cases, proceedings are currently at the civic level. No prima facie evidence was found in 14 cases, and where a department head found prima facie facts in code complaints, further investigation has been started," the BMC said in a statement.