Desilting scam: 2 civic officials verifying 2 lakh documents

MUMBAI: One year after irregularities were revealed in the desilting of storm water drains, the 85 civic officials under the scanner for their alleged involvement

MUMBAI: One year after irregularities were revealed in the desilting of storm water drains, the 85 civic officials under the scanner for their alleged involvement are yet to face disciplinary action.

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The delay, said sources in the know, is because the verification of two lakh documents with details of the scam to prove the officials’ involvement is being done by just two officers of the Enquiries department, who have spent eight months studying the documents. Sources said the process could take another after five months, after which a report proposing action will be prepared. This is a story that also reveals the civic body’s apathy towards its own employees.

HT had first reported about the 85 officials from the storm water drains department being under the BMC’s lens last December. The scam came to light after the city flooded on June 19 last year . The civic chief had ordered a detailed probe into desilting activities and a preliminary report last September said contractors had charged the civic body extra, and had done little or no work.

“We have been asking for more staff to complete the procedures and the city engineer, in charge of internal transfers, was also going to give us more manpower. But this is yet to happen. Currently, verification of the documents is in process, it is likely to take another five months to complete the inquiry,” said an official from the Enquiries department.

The action that is likely to be proposed is suspension, demotion, deduction in salary, and also termination of services. A senior SWD official said, “We need staff to carry out routine tendering procedures for laying or repairing storm water drain pipelines. The staff under inquiry have already been transferred from our department. But the civic chief cannot be taking action at once against so many officers and by suspending chief engineer (vigilance), Uday Murudkar, he has already sent out an alarming message to BMC employees.”

After the 145-page preliminary report was out, 14 civic officials were suspended and FIR was registered against seven contractors. A detailed report that was out in December last year had revealed the fraudulent practices and there was an attempt to scam BMC of Rs 38 crore in connivance with civic officials.