BMC serves notice to five engineers

Taking a serious note of reports of civic engineers recovering fine from tainted contractors, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued show-cause notices to five engineers from the roads department. These engineers had recovered a fine of '3 crore from the contractors, even after they were indicted in road repair scam in the civic inquiry.

According to civic officials, the engineers received money from contractors despite having no directives from higher authorities to do so. This enabled some of the contractors to get interim anticipatory bail in the road repair scam as they claimed they have already been penalised by the civic body.

In April, the BMC had filed an FIR against six contractors in the road repairs scam after 34 road works inspected by the inquiry committee highlighted several irregularities. Despite this, five civic engineers, which included sub and executive engineers, levied a fine of '3 crore on the contractors, for the works which they had not done, but submitted bills for it.

The engineers’ act proved beneficial for two of the contractors as they managed to get interim anticipatory bail of '1 lakh each in the Bombay high court claiming that they have already been penalised for their wrongdoings.

“The FIR was filed against the contractors, which means they were named accused in the scam. Considering this, the engineers should not have levied a fine on them. Strict action would be taken against these engineers and they may even be suspended,” said a civic official.

MNS party leader in the BMC Sandeep Deshpande has slammed the civic administration for the entire episode. “The civic officials offered the contractors safe passage by collecting fine from them. On this basis, contractors got the anticipatory bail. It shows that civic officials are hand in glove with the tainted contractors. Who will be responsible if they are now set scot-free ” he said in his letter to the municipal commissioner.