BMC rapped for bid with blacklisted contractor

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday was accused of making a bid to a blacklisted contractor. The allegations were made by members of the civic

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday was accused of making a bid to a blacklisted contractor. The allegations were made by members of the civic standing committee.

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A proposal was tabled at the standing committee, on Monday, to award a road repair work to a contractor who has been allegedly blacklisted in the past for negligence by the solid waste management department. Hence, the proposal worth Rs 34 crore was not cleared by the standing committee.

Corporators pointed out irregularities in the proposal seeking repair work of 34 roads in L ward (Kurla). BJP corporator Prabhakar Shinde said, “The civic administration has violated the tendering process. The administration had invited the contractor for negotiations even before the opening of the financial bid.”

The BMC also faced criticism for not re-inviting the tenders since there was only one contractor who had participated for the work. “The administration has selected the firm even when there was just a single bidder. The Central Vigilance Commission’s guidelines clearly state that in the first attempt the tender should be re-invited if there is a single bidder,” said Asif Zakaria, Congress corporator. Another BJP corporator Rajashree Shirwadkar has demanded a CBI probe.

Replying to the allegations, a senior civic official said, “We will come up with a detailed explanation of this particular tender over one week.”