Inflated billing by contractors up to ₹164 cr for 22 cement roads in south mumbai narwekar

Inflated billing by contractors up to ₹164 cr for 22 cement roads in south mumbai narwekar

MUMBAI: For the second time in the last two years, allegations of discrepancies by road contractors have raised concerns about the quality of road infrastructure in South Mumbai. On Wednesday, Makarand Narwekar, former BJP corporator, wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation into the discrepancies in 22 cement concrete (CC) road projects in South Mumbai. He has also sought the release of a white paper in the matter.

In his letter, Narwekar wrote about the alleged irregularities in CC road works executed in the A Ward. The work involved 22 roads, and the contracts were amounting to approximately ₹164 crore. He alleged that a deep-rooted nexus between certain contractors and senior BMC officials is responsible for inflated billing and misappropriation of public funds. ‘For instance, while only 50 tonnes of materials like cement, steel, gravel, and metal were purchased, invoices were submitted for 100 tonnes, effectively doubling the cost and placing an unjust burden on public resources,’ he wrote in the letter.

Describing the situation as a grave breach of transparency and governance, Narwekar expressed concern over such practices that reflected deep-rooted corruption and posed a risk to the city road’s quality and durability. He urged the government to order a detailed audit of the contractors’ accounts to inspect material procurement and billing records submitted to the BMC.

Narwekar also demanded that BMC publish a white paper on CC road projects so it is accessible to the public to ensure accountability.

Following the recent exposure of these discrepancies, Narwekar said, earlier this month, the BMC halted payments to the implicated contractors. These contractors have slowed down the work pace, thus causing inconvenience to the citizens and delays to critical infrastructure development, he said.

‘Taxpayers are bearing the brunt of this slowdown, and it is imperative that swift action is taken to restore faith in the system and ensure public funds are used judiciously,’ Narwekar concluded.

When contacted, a senior BMC official said they would examine the allegations and issue a clarification soon.

In January 2023, he pointed out how the Roadways Solution Infra India Ltd (RSIIL), which was initially awarded the contract for road concretization in South Mumbai, allegedly failed to begin work on time and show due diligence. The project was then reassigned to NCC Ltd. Following this, the new contractor quoted a 9% increase over the original estimate, which was ultimately negotiated down to 4%, still costing the BMC an additional ₹52 crore, after Narwekar’s intervention.