Who is accountable for BMC’s spends?

It was only after Satam brought this issue to the notice of deputy municipal commissioner Vishwas Shankarwar that the K (West) ward was ordered to initiate the process of re-tendering on Monday. Shankarwar will now monitor and ensure that all bids are invited and the ward is no longer being selective in opening bids, as alleged

The ₹20 crore worth tender for beautification of the K (West) ward in upscale Andheri-Juhu was cancelled and re-invited, after local MLA Ameet Satam made allegations of cartelisation and rigging of bids. Satam has alleged that only two particular contractors were deemed eligible, while other bidders were disqualified without any reason.

Who is accountable for BMC’s spends?

It was only after Satam brought this issue to the notice of deputy municipal commissioner Vishwas Shankarwar that the K (West) ward was ordered to initiate the process of re-tendering on Monday. Shankarwar will now monitor and ensure that all bids are invited and the ward is no longer being selective in opening bids, as alleged.

However, since the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had in September allotted ₹1,700 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to beautify and illuminate Mumbai, with each of the 24 wards given ₹30 crore to implement the project, this ad hoc method of inviting tenders at the ward level without monitoring and transparency has invited criticism from former corporators and civic activists.

At present, the taxpayers’ money, amounting to crores, will be utilised at the ward level for beautification without proper accountability, in the absence of sitting corporators. But it is first crucial for citizens to understand how the administration earlier functioned in the presence of sitting corporators.

There were 227 corporators monitoring work at the ward level. All small and big-ticket projects would be tabled and cleared at the various committees -- standing, improvements, works and education, including the general body meetings presided by the mayor at BMC -- wherein every penny spent for the minutest of works carried out by the civic body would be accounted for. The entire power of disbursing funds earlier was vested with the BMC administration only after proposals were cleared by these committees.

Currently, the BMC is being singlehandedly run by an administrator -- municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal -- after the deliberative wing of the civic body became defunct and the term of the 227 corporators ended on the night of March 7, this year.

In the past too, the civic wards had no capacity to handle funds to the tune of crores. Wards used to invite tenders only up to ₹25 lakh. There were elected representatives -- 227 corporators, who were familiar with the needs of the ward and thereby able to add value even for suggestions or proposing works.

At the moment, assistant commissioners of 24 administrative wards have each been given powers to invite tenders and spend ₹30 crore each for beautification. At the ward level, it is believed that the scope for corruption is high as contractors with low competence are invariably appointed. Coupled with the situation of zero participation from elected representatives (corporators), each ward is dealing with tenders worth crores with zero accountability.

Consequently, such a large scope of work is being carried out without any supervision from elected representatives (corporators or councillors).

This provoked Samajwadi party leader and MLA Rais Shaikh to jest: “If there is a need for a skirt, a pant is being stitched and given by the ward.”

His words sum up the current scenario of 24 wards. “What is the definition of beautification – that itself is not clear? Why spend crores on lighting bridges, skywalks and gardens or painting walls? It feels like a rich brat is trying to show off his money on needless accessories?” quipped Shaikh.

There is a solution to bring in transparency, opined veteran civic activists and former corporators. It can happen only by making all beautification and other works at ward level “public” and inviting suggestions and objections from citizens. There should also be a third-party audit and uniform policy to monitor works at ward level, in the absence of corporators.

The onus to ensure fairness in bids at ward level and transparency is on municipal chief Iqbal Singh Chahal – a quick uniform policy can be formulated for all 24 wards to prevent cartelisation and bring in accountability.

Citizens too can do their bit by reviving their Advanced Locality Management (ALMs), the erstwhile active citizens groups, which had in the past functioned like a mini opposition at the ward level. If citizens are empowered and vigilant and projects for beautification made public, it will also help bring in a degree of accountability. Unless genuine citizen participation is involved in the beautification of city wards, it will be just another exercise in futility, not to mention a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money.

(Linah Baliga covers BMC and civic affairs for Hindustan Times)