Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has initiated an investigation into a street furniture procurement undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The transaction, amounting to INR 263 crore, came under scrutiny for alleged irregularities and corrupt practices.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray has been at the forefront of this. He has raised concerns surrounding the controversial deal. In a letter addressed to BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal on July 1, Thackeray asked many questions regarding the deal. But, he did not receive any response from Chahal.
Thackeray questioned why the central purchasing division, which is responsible for purchasing medications and medical supplies, was also involved in requesting bids for road construction. He had requested details of the committee that decided which 13 pieces of street furniture should be purchased in his earlier letter.
Reacting to Thackeray's claims and concerns, Chief Minister Shinde made the announcement to form a committee that will investigate the purported street furniture scam. The primary objective of the committee will be to check the corruption allegations and analyse the details of the deal.
While Chahal denies any wrongdoing and asserts that he has not hidden any information. He also accuses certain individuals of attempting to cheat. Aaditya Thackeray has been persistent in raising corruption and irregularity concerns regarding the street furniture deal since April. According to reports, he also plans to bring the matter to the assembly and explore legal options to ensure justice prevails.
Recently, the Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a protest march on July 1. They accused the civic government of corruption, with a strong emphasis on the street furniture issue. Thackeray further claims that the scam was initially uncovered by Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh and BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha. However, their allegations were allegedly ignored by the BMC.
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