BMC fakes projects worth crores in Cuffe Parade slum

Under the BMC’s beautification and slum improvement programme, purchase orders totalling ₹11.58 crore were issued between 2023 and 2025 in Ambedkar Nagar alone

MUMBAI: South Mumbai’s affluent A Ward is once again under scrutiny over serious allegations of financial fraud and faking works in a slum improvement project funded by the BMC. The controversy centres around claims of purchase orders issued in some places but due to alleged misappropriation of funds meant for slum improvement, no works were done in many locations, particularly in the Ambedkar Nagar slum located in Cuffe Parade, now comprising over 7,000 tenements.

Mumbai, India. July 20, 2025: View of Main Gully of Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar at Cuffe Parade area of South Mumbai. Mumbai, India. July 20, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/ HTPhoto) (Raju Shinde)

Under the BMC’s beautification and slum improvement programme, purchase orders totalling ₹11.58 crore were issued between 2023 and 2025 in Ambedkar Nagar alone. Additional expenditure included ₹4 crore for Geeta Nagar starting February 2024 and ₹8 crore for Ganesh Murti Nagar, also within the same timeframe.

However, on-site visits revealed a stark mismatch between official records and ground realities, with many of the claimed projects either incomplete or entirely absent.

An inspection by Hindustan Times revealed troubling inconsistencies. At gully number 20 in Ambedkar Nagar, the BMC claimed to have spent ₹27.92 lakh on repairing a ten-seater toilet block. However, the lane is so narrow that it only accommodates two small rooms with no sign of the toilet block in question. Residents confirmed that the only ten-seater toilet block in the vicinity was located at the entry point of the slum and had been repaired prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Documents reviewed by HT indicate that Pawan Kawre, an assistant engineer (maintenance), had approved the controversial purchase orders. Kawre is currently suspended, facing multiple allegations of misconduct, including irregularities related to municipal pay-and-park contracts as reported by HT on May 20.

Last week, Jaydeep More, assistant commissioner (in-charge) of A Ward, issued a show-cause notice to Kawre and another official over other discrepancies in the ward.

Residents of Ambedkar Nagar have expressed outrage over the situation. “This is fooling the people in the slums,” said local resident Pratap R. “There has been no change in our living conditions, no new and improved pathways or drainage works.” Added Ajay Salve, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar gully no 22, “After some works six or seven years ago, nothing else has been done in this ward. Our drainage lines are broken, the tiles are broken. Gully no 19 has no toilet at all for seats to be repaired. We have one toilet in the main corner and in front at the gate. This is blatant corruption in the name of slum improvement.”

The issue came to light following a complaint by whistleblower Santosh Daundkar, whose tip-off led to a vigilance inquiry. Based on his complaint, a show-cause notice was issued to Jaydeep More on July 5 by additional municipal commissioner (city) Ashwini Joshi. Daundkar alleged that BMC officials had repeatedly reissued identical tenders for the same tasks, suggesting a deliberate effort to defraud the system. According to him, the scam could be worth as much as ₹100 crore, far surpassing the ₹1.5 crore toilet scam previously raised in the state assembly by MLA Atul Bhatalkar.

Daundkar also criticised the manner in which the purchase orders were processed in Ambedkar Nagar slum, pointing out that many were kept just under ₹25 lakh to evade scrutiny. He accused the lower-level civic officials of colluding with contractors and possibly political figures to siphon off funds, urged CM Devendra Fadnavis to initiate a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and demanded the immediate filing of an FIR.

When approached for comment, additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Joshi said that further information regarding Ambedkar Nagar would be available with Jaydeep More. Joshi also confirmed that More had responded to the show-cause notice served on July 5 and said that the administration would determine the next steps, including potential disciplinary action against those found guilty.

Despite several attempts, More remained unavailable for comment.