Mumbai Hoarding Collapse: 'Rs 100 Crore Scam In Ghatkopar Hoarding Allotment,' Says BJP's Somaiya, Demands ED Probe

The Ghatkopar hoarding tragedy, which has claimed the lives of 16 people so far, has turned into a political slugfest ahead of the voting for the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai city. Both the ruling and opposition parties have blamed each other for the tragedy that shook the city.

In the wake of this, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Thursday leveled fresh allegations against the erstwhile MVA government in Maharashtra led by Uddhav Thackeray. Somaiya claimed there was a massive scam of Rs 100 crore in the hoarding allotments at the petrol pump where the accident happened and in adjoining areas.

"The roots of this tragedy go back to a January 30, 2020 order by then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's office to the Maharashtra DGP. The Maharashtra government told the police that a petrol pump should be built on a piece of land belonging to the Maharashtra Police Housing and Welfare Corporation in Ghatkopar. They also ordered the management of the petrol pump to be given to Uddhav Thackeray's friend, Lords Mark Industries," Somaiya said.

"Additionally, they ordered that on four different sites in this area, hoarding contracts should be given to Ego Media company of Bhavesh Bhinde, a friend of Sunil Raut and Sanjay Raut. This whole process transpired in 2020-21. In January 2021, tenders were floated for only three of the four sites and were allotted to Bhavesh Bhinde," Somaiya added.

Making a shocking further claim, the former BJP MP said, "For the site where the tragedy happened, no tender process was ever conducted for those hoardings. The Mumbai railway police directly gave that contract to Bhavesh Bhinde."

Somaiya claimed that for all these four sites, permission was granted for erecting 40x40 sqft hoardings. "However, hoardings of size 140x120 sqft were erected. A structural engineer also gave a bogus certificate for the structure," he said.

"Revenue of Rs 2 crore is generated from each of these four sites having hoardings every month. Bhavesh Bhinde's company gets Rs 100 crore revenue every year from these sites. The petrol pump generates Rs 25 crore every year. But out of this revenue of Rs 125 crore, the Maharashtra government or Maharashtra police do not get even a penny. Only Rs 2.25 crore is given to the Police welfare fund. Where is the rest of the money going? Is it going to Matoshree (Uddhav's residence)? There's a Rs 100 crore scam in this," Somaiya said.

"I have requested Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis that the IT department, ED, and Maharashtra home department should conduct a probe into this scam. Until a probe is conducted, the officials of GRP, including commissioner Qaiser Khalid, who participated in the tendering and work order process, should be sent on compulsory leave," he added.

Reports have also quoted senior IPS officers in Maharashtra stating that former Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Qaiser Khalid permitted hoarding work at Ghatkopar without taking mandatory permission from the office of the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP).

Khalid gave his nod to Ego Media Pvt Ltd to install it on GRP land without approval, and a show-cause notice was issued to him in that regard, the reports stated.

IPS Khalid was unavailable for comment when Lokmattimes.com tried to reach out to him.