Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta pulls back several projects; SP, Congress blame Shiv Sena

Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Friday has instructed all the development projects worth more than Rs, 1000 cr to withdraw. There were many development projects supposed to be tabled before the committee headed by Shiv Sena leader Yashwant Jadhav.  

This is the first time when Municipal Commissioner has taken a decision to pull back numbers of projects until the issues are not resolved no further projects will also be tabled before the standing committee. Which approves and earmark funds required for various projects carried out by the Mumbai civic body.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rules, “all development works are proposed by several internal departments, cleared by the municipal commissioner and then it is placed in standing committee for final approval.

A senior civic official told Mirror that Ajoy Mehta on Friday evening instructed the municipal secretary’s department to withdraw all developmental proposals that were supposed to be tabled before the standing committee next week. Nineteen such proposals are related to contracts for construction and repair of roads, stormwater drains, transporting garbage and other civil works.

“The standing committee chairperson (Jadhav) is responsible for this. After deciding that certain proposals will be cleared, he rejected them without reason. He didn’t even give the BMC administration a chance to offer an explanation,” the official told the leading tabloid.

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In the last few days, at least six important proposals were either rejected or deferred without any valid reason. It also includes two proposals worth Rs 250 cr mooted by the solid waste management department for transporting garbage from different parts of the city.

Samajwadi and Congress blamed Sena for the Mess

“If the BMC administration has taken such a decision to withdraw all proposals, it is a serious issue. The Shiv Sena and its standing committee members are responsible for this. Eventually, the common man will suffer if development works are stopped. The Shiv Sena leadership must step in and get its act together,” Shaikh said.

Congress corporator Ravi Raja claimed that Sena has badly failed to explain reasons, why it rejected several projects without any discussion, “The Shiv Sena is treating the standing committee like a shakha. Important proposals are rejected without any reason while many projects, worth thousands of crores of rupees, are approved without any discussion. Even the BMC administration has failed to bring clarity on giving contracts to tainted and blacklisted contractors. The city will suffer in this fight between the Sena and the Municipal Commissioner,” Raja quoted as saying to Mumbai Mirror.

In Mumbai’s standing committee has 10 members each from the Shiv Sena and BJP. While Congress is represented by three members, the NCP and SP have a member each.

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