Internal inquiry by ward office over Banganga steps demolition raises questions

BMC appoints internal engineers to investigate Banganga steps demolition, sparking concerns. Activist calls for independent inquiry by vigilance department

Mumbai: The BMC has appointed engineers from two internal departments of D ward - maintenance and water works - to investigate the demolition of the heritage steps at Banganga last month.

Stairs of Banganga Tank damage due to JCB, at Walkeshwar. (Hindustan Times)

This move has raised questions about the conduct of the investigation. A civic RTI activist Santosh Daundkar has written to Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner (city), urging that the inquiry be conducted independently and handed over to the BMC’s vigilance department.

On June 24, Savani Heritage Conservation (Pvt) Ltd had run over the heritage steps with an excavator and damaged them. HT was the first to report on this desecration of steps by the contractor after which there was an uproar across political parties. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) also took cognizance of the demolition. On June 25, the Malabar Hill police station registered an FIR and booked the contractor.

Following this, Sharad Ughade, assistant commissioner D ward appointed a two-member committee comprising Sanjay Pol, executive engineer, maintenance department and Prashant Bagwe, assistant engineer from the waterworks department.

The activist argued that appointing junior officers from the same ward to lead the inquiry risks covering up irregularities and making sub-engineers as scapegoats, while failing to hold senior officials in the ward accountable.

In his letter, Daundkar said, “The Banganga Lake is a heritage structure. Recently, a contractor had dislodged heritage steps by moving JCB on them. An FIR is also lodged against the contractor for causing damage to the heritage structure. The same contractor had done the work of August Kranti heritage structure. There too no proper work was done.”

Daundkar said an in-depth inquiry is needed so that the officer responsible will be held guilty. “Whether the main contractor appointed any sub-contractor for the restoration work has to be investigated. Kindly request to conduct an inquiry under the supervision of the joint municipal commissioner- vigilance department and to take necessary action accordingly,” said Daundkar.

Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner (city) said the inquiry report is yet to be out, but the contractor was blacklisted. Ughade remained unavailable for comment.