A high-level probe by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in construction of over 200 roads in Mumbai has revealed that sixteen of the contractors involved in the project cheated the city of Rs 572 crore, reported Mumbai Mirror.
Led by Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh, the inquiry conducted by Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vasant Prabhu and Chief Engineer (Bridges) SO Kori revealed:
- Many of the roads lacked a sub-base, the main load-bearing layer of the road.
- In some cases, the last layer was mostly formed of rubble and thereby was nearly 85% less thick than the required depth.
- In comparison to the prescribed quality, the roads were found to be deviating 35% from it.
Talking about the scam surrounding the project, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said that such a planned scam could not have been possible without the active involvement of top rung officials.
BMC while cracking the whip at these contractors has now decided to stop further payments and recover the ones paid till now. An FIR has been registered against the six out of the 16, while the rest will be booked after a report is submitted to Municipal Commissioner.
(Feature Image Source: Reuters)