On Wednesday, October 20, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Standing Committee meeting, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Congress had alleged large-scale irregularities by the civic body regarding the COVID-19 expenditure.
BJP and Congress were on the same side in demanding the white paper on COVID-19 related expenditure. As per the corporators' claims, Shiv Sena-led BMC has spent more than INR 4,700 crores on COVID-related arrangements, but they have failed to submit detailed reports on these expenses.
Bhalchandra Shirsat, BJP corporator had raised the issue in the virtual Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday. He stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, special powers were given to the administration for purchase and works related to the pandemic. However, they are awarding the contracts without seeking approval from the corporation and the Standing Committee. The civic body must present a white paper consisting of the overall expenditure related to coronavirus.
Ravi Raja, opposition leader, alleged that the BMC is taking advantage of the pandemic and made purchases at inflated rates. He appreciated the civic body for handling the crisis well; however, he asked them to maintain transparency in the expenditure.
He further accused the planning department and said that they failed to submit a report consisting of expenses done on food distribution and stated that he is expecting some reports on this in the next few weeks.
Following the allegations and demands, Yashwant Jadhav, the Standing Committee Chairman, has directed the civic body to put forth a detailed report of all the COVID-19 expenses.
Also read: Mumbai: BMC Collects Over INR 76 Crore In Fines From Those Flouting COVID-19 Norms
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