State orders CID probe into nullah desilting work

Attacking the BMC for suspected malpractices,Jadhav,incidentally,a former Shiv Sainik and MLA who shifted to the NCP in 2005,said water shortage could have been shown purposely for the benefit of the tanker mafia. “There are grounds for suspecting that the same is happening in the nullah tenders,” he said.

Amin Patel of the Congress alleged that the BMC was “committing scams worth crores daily”,and said the desilting work was not satisfactory. Madhu Chavan,Congress MLA from Byculla,said the BMC had not learnt a lesson even six years after the 26/7 deluge and added that water logging was affecting rail and road transport.

Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse said the decision was a “political motive” and was taken with an eye on the elections.

BMC issued tenders worth Rs 152.7 crore

The BMC called for tenders to clean the bigger nullahs and according to the contract,70 per cent work has to be completed before the monsoon,20 per cent during the rains and 10 per cent after the monsoon. The civic body had issued tenders to the tune of Rs 152.70 crore. These tenders are issued for two years. In 2011- 12,a total of 4.44 lakh million cubic meters of silt was removed from the 319.47 kilometre large nallahs in the city and the suburbs. The BMC has also fined the contractors Rs 40.01 lakh for violations like not adhering to the desilting time table,not putting up boards at the work sites and not lifting the silt in time