BJP opposes ₹40L repair work at BMC chief’s bungalow

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opposed the proposed repair works worth ₹40 lakh for municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal’s official bungalow at Carmichael Road near Tardeo in south Mumbai. The BJP has said that in the past, too, a lot of money has been spent on repair works and the same should be avoided in the current scenario in view of the fund crunch faced by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) due to Covid-19 pandemic.

A BMC official said, “Internal and external repair works were proposed last year during the tenure of former BMC chief Praveen Pardeshi. However, the current chief has made few suggestions, which we have incorporated.”

BJP corporator Vinod Mishra said, “Only a couple of years ago BMC had spent lakhs on repair work during the tenure of former BMC chief Ajoy Mehta, and now repair work is being undertaken again... BMC is facing a financial burden. In such a scenario, why is BMC spending on something that can wait?”

Meanwhile, Chahal said, “The roof of the bungalow is covered with plastic sheets held by bamboos, but still there are water leakages. Anyone is free to visit the bungalow and decide if the repairs are necessary or not.”

BMC, in a clarification, on Friday said, “The bungalow has not undergone any major repairs in the past several years, and the administrativeprocessforrepair and conservation started in 2019. Given this, it is clear that there is no fact in the allegation.”