Civic officials served notice in ‘beautification scam’

Assistant municipal Commissioner (in-charge) Jaydeep More served the seven-day notice this week to assistant engineer Pawan Kawre, and junior engineer (maintenance) Prashant Sonar, who is now with the water department

MUMBAI: A show cause notice has been served to two civic officials in the BMC’s A ward, for alleged procedural violations and financial irregularities in beautification work carried out in Colaba and Cuffe Parade – including a community temple that does not exist.

Civic officials served notice in ‘beautification scam’

Assistant municipal Commissioner (in-charge) Jaydeep More served the seven-day notice this week to assistant engineer Pawan Kawre, and junior engineer (maintenance) Prashant Sonar, who is now with the water department.

The notice to Kawre comes following his suspension on allegations of misconduct and irregularities in managing municipal pay-and-park contracts, as reported by HT on May 20.

More’s show cause notice is subsequent to a notice he received from Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner, based on a complaint by whistleblower and civic activist Santosh Daundkar, who has alleged that A ward had issued a work order for the repair of a non-existent community temple in 4th Pasta Lane in Colaba. He has also alleged duplication of work orders in beautification work at Badhwar Park at Cuffe Parade. Daundkar’s claims are based on information received under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

Daundkar claims the ‘beautification scam’ in A ward amounts to ₹105 crore. More’s notice states that no community temple exists in 4th Pasta Lane, even though two work orders were issued last year for repairs to the non-existent shrine.

The work involves repairs to a brick wall around a tree and laying paver blocks. There are also allocations for dry stone rubble soling, granite plaques, structural steel members, cement corrugated sheets, fire-retardant paint, and cast iron and ornamental mild steel railings.

Furthermore, measurements of some items, such as removal of old paving and land excavation, were recorded twice under both work orders, a duplication that points to potential misuse of funds.

The notice states that payment for one of the work orders has been processed, while the second payment is in the pipeline. Given the duplication of work orders, a prima facie financial loss to the BMC’s coffers has been established, it adds.

The notice also points to procedural violations in beautification work at Badhwar Park, which falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). Accordingly, such work requires a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the district collector and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

While A ward had secured in-principle approval from the district collector, it has not obtained the NOC from the MCZMA. The execution of the project without this mandatory clearance constitutes a serious violation of environmental and legal norms, the notice points out.

More has sought a written explanation along with supporting documents from both civic officials, within seven days. Failure to respond, or submission of an unsatisfactory explanation, would lead to disciplinary action.

More confirmed issuing the show cause notice, saying, “The lower-rung officials do the technical work and they are answerable after I received a notice. Prashant Sonar was transferred to the water department on June 1.”

Daundkar told HT, “There is corruption amounting to ₹105 crore in A ward, in the guise of beautification and slum improvement. Although an inquiry was initiated into these irregularities, no concrete action has followed. If there is such large-scale corruption in a municipal ward to which the chairperson of the Vidhan Parishad belongs, then the civic chief must be transferred. Action must also be taken against corrupt officers in A ward, and a First Information Report (FIR) registered.”